The Long Road
by Cassidy McKenzie
Summary: In the middle of a road tour, Keith contracts a virus that he can't shake.
1. Default Chapter

The Long Road  
  
It started with a sore throat, the sniffles, mild fever. And right in the middle of a tour; Keith groused. It hadn't been easy, showing up on stage every night, feeling like he'd been run over by a truck, but he'd done it. He'd also done everything every doctor in every city they'd played told him to. Rest, drink plenty of fluids. Okay, so he wasn't exactly resting every night between 8 and 10 o'clock, but he had no choice. The audience had come to see him and the family perform, and he always gave them their money's worth, no matter how he was feeling.  
  
And right now, he was feeling pretty down and out.  
  
He was trying to catch some sleep in the back of the bus as it carried him, the other Partridges and Reuben to another town, just as it had for the past week and a half. The tour was just getting underway, with 10 more dates in the next two weeks. And Keith was still fighting this interminable bug. For some reason, he couldn't shake this one. None of the others had picked it up; another strange thing about it. It was almost as if he'd been chosen especially to bear this cross. And oh, what it was doing to his throat! He was nearly completely voiceless after every show, unable to talk above a whisper. Then, in the morning, his voice would start slowly returning, only to be terminated again later on that night. It was a vicious circle, and all he could do was live with it. Then there was the loss of energy. He could barely drag himself to the post-concert autographs sessions. There, he was supposed to smile and act like nothing was wrong; act like he'd just stepped out of a teen magazine's pages, smiling and happy and all that crap.  
  
He coughed, and the motion gave him a sharp, sudden pain in the middle of his forehead. Oh, man, what now? This was something new.  
  
Driving the bus, Shirley glanced in the mirror. "Laurie, go check on Keith, will you?"  
  
"Mom, he just coughed," Laurie murmured, looking up from her fashion magazine.  
  
"I know, but it didn't sound right. Please?"  
  
Sighing, Laurie got up, moving past the other dozing passengers to the back of the bus.  
  
Keith was huddled on a back seat, his head on a pillow that rested against the window. A blanket was pulled tight around him as if it were ten degrees, yet he was sweating. Laurie leaned down, touching him over the blanket.  
  
"You okay, Keith?"  
  
He swallowed painfully. "Yeah, sure," he answered, his voice still thick.  
  
"Did you try those capsules that doctor in Portland prescribed?"  
  
"Yeah, and they work about as well as all the other junk I've got in my bag. Laurie, do me a favor and hand me my jacket, will you? It's over there on my guitar case."  
  
"Want me to see if there's another blanket?"  
  
He smiled tiredly. "Sure, if you would. Thanks." He coughed again, wincing and pressing a fist into his forehead.  
  
She shook her head, going all the way into the back of the bus. Sifting through the trunk, she pulled out two blankets. As she took them to him, she also grabbed his jacket from off of the guitar case, as he requested.   
  
"Here you go," she announced.  
  
He sat up, coughing again and pulling a face. She helped him on with the jacket, then tucked all three blankets back over him, starting to worry just a little. He didn't look good at all. She'd never seen him so pale!  
  
"Okay?" she queried.  
  
He nodded, pulling the blankets all the way up under his chin. "I'm just so cold…will you ask Mom to turn up the heat?"  
  
Laurie looked out the window. It was sunny; the middle of May, and they were in Arizona. "Okay, sure. Get some sleep," she assured him.  
  
He closed his eyes and she could see him shivering. She reached out, gently touching his moist forehead.  
  
He didn't react, and she went back to the front of the bus.   
  
"How is he?" Shirley asked.  
  
"Freezing. He's got his jacket on and three blankets. He wanted you to turn up the heat," Laurie answered.  
  
"I guess I'd better…I certainly don't want him to get worse."  
  
"Mom," Laurie took a seat behind her.  
  
"What, honey?"  
  
"He's not looking very good. Maybe we should stop off at another hospital."  
  
Shirley sighed. "We've been to five hospitals, Laurie, and no one knows what to do for him. They all say the same thing, let it run its course."  
  
"Then maybe we should call off the rest of the tour. It can't be good for him to sing with his throat the way it is."  
  
That brought Reuben awake. "What's this? Who wants to call off the tour?" He sounded muddled.  
  
Danny, Chris and Tracy woke from their naps, as well, listening to the adults.   
  
Shirley smiled sadly. "We were just discussing the possibility of having to cancel the rest of the dates, Reuben. Keith's just too sick to keep pushing on, and he's not getting any better."  
  
The manager glanced behind him. "But he's doing okay on stage."  
  
"He always does. It's the before and after I'm worried about."  
  
"Does he want to call it off?"  
  
Shirley and Laurie exchanged looks. "You know Keith. He wouldn't cancel a date if they brought him in on a stretcher, which just may happen if we don't stop now," Shirley answered. "Someone is going to have to make a decision. I don't want him getting worse. He could damage his voice permanently, and then where would we be?"  
  
Reuben looked even more worried than usual. "Maybe if we just played a recording and he lip synched to it…"  
  
"Reuben! You know he'd never go for that. Besides, it's getting so he can barely lift his guitar."  
  
"I know, Shirley, I know…it's just that…wow, ten dates. I suppose I could do something about the ones later on, but the closer ones…we'll be breaching our contract."  
  
"You can't tell me there's not an illness clause in there!"  
  
"Actually," Reuben said, looking sheepish. "I don't think there is."  
  
To everyone's stunned reaction, he held up his hands.  
  
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But it was such a good deal, and it only pertains to the next two venues. I didn't know he was going to get sick."  
  
"Oh, wow, Mr. Kincaid, that was really dumb!" Danny had to put his two cents in.  
  
"Reuben, any one of us could have gotten sick! And we still could. We could all get what Keith has, then what?" Shirley was mortified.  
  
"Look, I said I was sorry!"  
  
"Now what are we going to do?" Laurie moaned.  
  
"It's only two dates. I can take care of the rest, I'll just reschedule them for the fall. I'm sure he can make two more shows." Reuben fanned his face, which by now was almost beet red. "It sure is warm in here."  
  
"I have to keep it warm for Keith. Will someone go check on him, please?"  
  
"I will, Mom," Chris volunteered.  
  
"Thank you, honey."  
  
He moved off as Shirley shook her head, glancing in the mirror at their harried manager. "I hope for your sake that Keith feels well enough to perform…"  
  
Reuben tugged at his collar. "Me, too."  
  
"Mom!" Chris's cry brought everyone's attention to the back of the bus.  
  
Shirley looked up in the mirror once again. Something told her all was not right. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Keith won't wake up!"  
  
Her heart racing, Shirley quickly maneuvered the bus into the emergency lane as Rueben and the rest of the kids jumped up.  
"What?!" Laurie ran to her brothers, followed by everyone else. Keith was as she'd left him, but sweating hard now, still pale, but now limp in the blankets.  
  
Shirley pushed her way to him, her heart in her throat by now.   
  
Chris's eyes were wide. "I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't!"  
  
Slipping into the seat next to him, Shirley grabbed Keith's shoulder. "Keith!" She cried, shaking him.  
  
He didn't respond, and she tried it again, shaking him harder. Still he didn't move. Panicking, she pulled him to her, feeling his neck for a pulse.   
  
"Mom!" Laurie felt sick.  
  
"He's breathing, and there's a pulse. Oh, Reuben, let's get him to a hospital!" Shirley cried, holding Keith to her.  
  
Reuben ran to the front of the bus, throwing it in gear and screeching back out onto road.  
  
"What's the matter with him, Mom?" Chris and the others were in tears, now.  
  
"I don't know, honey." She looked up at Laurie. "He's burning up." She could feel his body heat as she cuddled him. "See if there's any water around that we could cool him down with."  
  
Numbly, Laurie scrambled to obey, as Shirley spoke to her son, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.  
  
"Keith, honey, we're going to the hospital right now. Please wake up, sweetheart...I need to see that you're all right!"  
  
He remained limp in her hold, and she fought tears as she let him rest against her, petting his head. Laurie was right; his skin was translucent and whiter than white. And for all she knew, he was dying on her right then and there.  
  
Tracy began to cry. "He's dead, Keith's dead!"  
  
"No, he isn't, Tracy. He's just resting. Danny, take the kids up front, please." Shirley ordered, looking up. "Laurie!"  
  
"I found some ice water in the cooler," Laurie said, hurrying over to them with a wet cloth.  
  
Shirley took it from her, pressing it to Keith's forehead.  
  
Laurie sat in the seat in front of them. "Maybe his throat's swollen or something."  
  
"It could be." Shirley put her hand on his throat, fingering it. "I can't tell. Oh, please, Keith, wake up…" She whispered the last part, her eyes brimming with tears.  
  
He remained silent and Shirley kept cooling him down. Laurie gulped, trying not to cry herself.  
  
"I'll…go see how Reuben's doing."  
  
She got up, moving away as Shirley broke down, clinging to him as he lay against her like a rag doll.  
  
  
They ended up at Flagstaff Memorial Hospital.   
  
The bus was barely in park before Laurie dashed out the doors and into the building, followed by the rest of the kids. Reuben went to the back of the bus and picked Keith up. He hurried down the aisle with him dangling limply in his arms.   
  
Shirley joined them outside as Laurie led two orderlies with a stretcher to meet them. Reuben eased Keith down onto the gurney, and the men rushed the stretcher inside.  
  
They ran Keith's nearly lifeless form through the halls of the hospital's emergency room, with Shirley right on their heels. Reuben and Laurie followed with the kids, and the five of them watched as the double doors leading to the treatment room closed behind Shirley. Shaking, everyone just stood there, dumbfounded.  
  
Inside a curtained treatment room, a doctor was looking Keith over, asking Shirley a million questions. A nurse stood by as the doctor checked Keith's pulse, blood pressure, temperature, etc.  
  
"How long has he been unconscious?"  
  
"I'm not exactly sure, perhaps half an hour."  
  
"Is he allergic to any medicine?" The doctor shined a light into Keith's throat, then forced his eyelids open with his thumb, waving the light across the pupils.  
  
"No."  
  
"Is he taking any medication?"  
  
"Just these capsules the doctor in Portland prescribed," Shirley answered, producing them from her pocket. "But I don't think he took any recently."  
  
The doctor looked the bottle over. "Standard antibiotics, shouldn't be the problem."  
  
Shirley looked worried as the doctor examined her still-unconscious son. He turned to his nurse. "I want a full blood gas on him, and let's get him on some glucose."  
  
"Yes, doctor," the nurse nodded, preparing to draw Keith's blood.  
  
"What could it be?" Shirley asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. The blood gas will tell us more. Now, you say he's had a sore throat and fever?" The doctor began writing in a chart.  
  
"Yes…I tried to get him to rest, but as usual, he pushed himself. He wouldn't even have a voice at the end of the night. It just seemed worse today, he was so cold and all, and his voice was so raspy…" Shirley prattled tearfully. "And then he got this cough…"  
  
The doctor nodded and continued to write. "Okay, Mrs. Partridge, we'll see what we can do. You may wait outside with your family, and I will let you know what I find."  
  
"Thank you." Numbly, Shirley took one last look at Keith as the nurse hooked an I.V. to his arm. Still dazed, she went back out into the waiting room.  
  
  
  
Shirley didn't see the doctor again until a good hour later, when he came back out of the double doors, looking perplexed and very serious.  
  
She, Reuben and the kids met him halfway up the hall. "Where's Keith, what's happening?"  
  
"I'm admitting your son, Mrs. Partridge. He's still unconscious and I have no idea why. His temperature is 102, and that could be part of it. His throat's a bit swollen, and that, too, could be the reason. I need to run some tests. I'm fairly certain that it's a virus of some sort, but I need to pinpoint the strain so we can begin treating it."  
  
"Oh, my, that means we have to find a place to stay…Reuben?" Shirley looked at the manager.  
  
"I'll get right on it, Shirley," he nodded, moving off.  
  
"You mentioned his throat. Has it effected his vocal chords? My son is a singer, you understand, and…"  
  
"As far as I can tell, his vocal chords are just fine. Now, I'm placing him in a room on the seventh floor, and you're welcome to go up there, although we're going to be taking him in and out for various tests throughout the day, so you won't see much of him. If we can just get him to wake up, that will be half the battle right there." He smiled. "Don't worry, Mrs. Partridge. We're going to take good care of him."  
  
  
  
Shirley was literally alone in Keith's room. Reuben had gotten rooms at a Holiday Inn down the street for them, and had taken the kids there. Keith was being tested, she was told, taken from her once again, so she sat there alone and frightened.  
  
The door opened and she turned to find Reuben there. "That was fast," she said to him. "Get everybody settled in?"  
  
"Sure did. I took a cab here, though. The bus was drawing a few stares. Any word on Keith?"  
  
"Well, they took him out again…I have no idea what they're doing to him; they're not sure themselves, I don't think."   
  
"You look tired. Why don't you lie down on the other bed there and get some rest? I'll keep vigil over Keith."  
  
Shirley smiled. "Thanks, Reuben, but I'll be okay. I just wish they'd tell me something. Anything! They've drawn his blood four times and every time I ask, it's always the same thing: 'We're getting closer!'"  
  
Reuben took a seat in the chair next to her. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Shirley, but he wasn't really complaining. I would have never let him push himself like this, had I known. I didn't realize how sick he really was."  
  
She sighed. "I know, I don't think anyone knew. He was just trying to be so brave through it all, not wanting us to worry…he just wanted to please the fans, and now…" Her voice trailed off into a sob, and she put her hand to her face.  
  
Reuben reached over, placing his hand on her arm. "He'll be okay, Shirley."  
  
She nodded through the tears, swallowing. "I know…he's been in worse situations, Lord knows that. It's just that…when he wouldn't wake up…I felt such a cold, deep despair when he wouldn't respond…"  
  
Behind them, the door opened and Keith, still flat out on a stretcher, was wheeled in. Reuben and Shirley stood, watching as the orderlies picked up the sheet beneath him and eased him back onto the bed, sheet and all.  
  
The men covered Keith with the blanket, the shorter of the two speaking to Reuben and Shirley. "Dr. Carter will be here in a little bit."  
  
"Thank you," Shirley nodded, reaching down and stroking Keith's head.  
  
They left, and Shirley sat back down, grasping her son's hand.  
  
"He doesn't look as pale, now," she murmured.  
  
"Yeah." To Reuben, he still seemed pretty pasty, but then again, he wasn't a mother.  
  
"Reuben, what's going to happen if he won't be able to sing again?" Shirley's gaze never left her son's face.  
  
That question made the manager visibly nervous. "Don't even think that, Shirley!"  
  
She looked up, her dark eyes shining in the dim light of the room. "We have to face reality. His vocal chords may have been damaged by this…virus or whatever he's got."  
  
Speechless, Reuben just shook his head as the doctor came in, a chart in his hand.  
  
Shirley gripped Keith's hand tighter, praying for good news.  
  
"Well, it looks as if I was right. His blood work shows a virus that's slowly working its way through his system. Unfortunately, at this point, there's not an antibiotic in the world that has any effect on it. The strain is so new and so rare, we can't even identify it from any known medical journal."  
  
"What does that mean for Keith?" Shirley asked.  
"It means that he's just going to have to live with it. I expect him to recover from the sore throat and the cough, but they will only be replaced by something new as it moves on," Dr. Carter closed the chart.  
  
"Can you tell us what to expect?"  
  
"There's the problem. I've never seen it before; no one in this hospital has seen it before, so we don't know. It could do any number of things before it finally leaves his body. He could have headaches, loss of muscle coordination, joint pain, severe fatigue, hearing loss, loss of sight, no one knows. It will all be temporary, as the virus strikes and moves on rather quickly, but I'm afraid your son is in for a frightening and tortuous roller coaster ride."  
  
Shirley closed her eyes, feeling sick herself. "Oh, dear…"  
  
"He should still be able to function; go on with his every day life. Perhaps he will only get a mild onset of these things; he may not even have any problems. Only time will tell, Mrs. Partridge. I'm sorry I can't help him. I can give him a prescription for any pain he may incur, but that's about it," Dr. Carter said sadly. "Or, we could keep him here in the hospital indefinitely until all signs of the virus are gone. But that could be months, perhaps even years, and I don't think you want that."  
  
Shirley looked longingly over at her son. "Has the virus affected his vocal chords? Why is he still unconscious?" Her head was full of questions.  
  
"I don't see any serious damage to his throat or his vocal chords. His voice will return to normal in another day or so. As for his unconscious state, I'm sure he'll be coming out of it fairly soon. He was drifting in and out during the last few tests, so it should be anytime soon."  
  
Shirley nodded as Reuben looked over at her. Her skin was as white as Keith's, and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You wanna take him home, or what, Shirley?"  
  
"Oh, Reuben, I just don't know…I think that should be up to him whether or not he feels like continuing the tour," she said wearily. "Let's wait and ask him."  
  
to be continued....  



	2. Part 2

The Long Road, PART 2  
  
In his delirium, Keith tried to swallow. It still hurt, though not as much as before, and he reached up, putting a hand on his throat. He opened his eyes and found himself in what appeared to be a hospital room. Shirley was standing at the window, her back to him, and he swallowed again, blinking sleepily.  
  
"Mom." He forced it out, surprised that he could even be heard.  
  
She whirled. "Keith!"  
  
He reached up and she was at his side in an instant, taking his hand. There was a look of pure joy on her face.  
  
He tried to speak again. The words came without any pain, much to his relief. "What's going on?"  
  
"You passed out in the bus yesterday, honey, so we brought you here. We're in Flagstaff."  
  
He swallowed again. It was getting easier. "I passed out?"  
  
Shirley nodded, tears glimmering in her eyes. "We thought we'd lost you, honey. We couldn't get you to wake up."  
  
He looked around the room. "Have they found out what's wrong? What do I have?" His eyes shifted back to her face.  
  
She petted his head. "Dr. Carter says you have a virus. They've never heard of it, and they don't know what it will do to you."  
  
His eyes darkened with fear. "Am I gonna die?"  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know, Keith. No one knows what will happen." She was crying now.   
  
He stared up at her, his heart racing. If she was crying, it must be serious. He gripped her hand as she continued to stroke his hair. Trying to lift his head, he panicked. "Mom…"  
  
"Shhh, honey…rest your voice. It's going to be all right, I promise." Hearing a noise behind her, she looked back to see Laurie and Danny.  
  
"Is he awake?" Keith heard Danny ask.  
  
"Yes, he just woke up," Shirley moved aside so they could see.  
  
"Hey, how do you feel?" Danny grinned down at him.  
  
"Like a cavity in somebody's mouth," Keith answered, his eyes following Shirley as she pulled Laurie aside.  
  
"Mom, what's wrong?" Laurie looked worried. "He's okay, isn't he?"  
  
"For now…oh, Laurie, he asked me if he was going to die…" Shirley tried in vain to hold back the waterworks.  
  
Laurie swallowed, glancing at her brother. "What did you say?" She and her siblings had been told the news, and she was still reeling over it. Keith would have to take one day at a time until this virus left him, the doctor had said. If the virus left him.  
  
"I told him the truth, that no one knew. I need to tell him what's ahead of him, but I can't…" She shook her head.  
  
"Let Dr. Carter do that. He'll be better prepared for his questions." Laurie put her arm around Shirley's shoulders, pressing her head into hers. "At least he's awake, that's something, isn't it?"  
  
Shirley nodded, her hand trembling as she wiped at the tears on her face. "Yes, I suppose it is. I just hope he wants to go home."  
  
Laurie smiled. "Well, let's ask him."  
  
They turned back to the boys. Danny was sitting at the foot of the bed, and Keith looked up, the worry evident in his eyes.  
  
"What's going on? What's wrong?" He made another failed attempt to sit up, but his sister put a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"Nothing. We were just saying how nice it will be to go home for a while."  
  
"Home?" Keith frowned. "We have the tour to finish. Does Reuben know you're talking crazy? He'll flip."  
  
Shirley sighed. "Keith, you can't go on with the tour, not as sick as you are."  
  
"I'm okay. Look, my voice is almost back to normal. I feel a hundred percent better."  
  
Shirley and Laurie exchanged concerned glances. "You need to talk to the doctor, honey."  
  
His look darkened. "Why?"  
  
"He can explain this whole…virus problem better than we can. Will you do that, first? Listen to him and then decide? Reuben has agreed to bide by your decision." Shirley's voice remained gentle. "And so have we."  
  
Keith nodded, swallowing. Was it his imagination, or was it painful again?  
  
  
  
After listening to the doctor's rundown of what problems he could be facing, Keith was stunned. And sick.   
  
Like Laurie, he was still reeling from having read Dr. Carter's frightening list. It was even more disturbing seeing it in writing. The others sat around him in silence, letting it all soak in.  
  
Finally, Shirley spoke. "Well, honey? What do you think?"  
  
Keith shook his head, looking up from the paper there in his hand. "I…I don't know." He looked over at Reuben. "How long do I have to decide?"  
  
"Not long, I'm afraid. I managed to cancel Phoenix, but Santa Fe is day after tomorrow."  
  
Blowing out a big breath, Keith pressed his head into the pillow. "I'll have an answer in the morning, then."  
  
Shirley reached over, taking his hand. "Dr. Carter said he's releasing you tomorrow. We'll take care of all that, and you concentrate on your decision. Whatever it is, we're behind you, darling."  
  
Keith smiled tiredly as his family and manager began filing from the room, each one giving him parting words.   
  
Shirley leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Sleep well, sweetheart."  
  
"Thanks, Mom, you too. See you in the morning."  
  
All too soon, the door closed behind them and Keith was alone with The Paper. His eyes scanned it again, the words taking on bizarre shapes through the tears. A sob wracked him and he closed his eyes. Lying back on the pillow, he scrunched the paper hard in his hand.  
  
  
  
He was feeling almost as bad as when he'd arrived, but Keith was determined not to let on. He was leaving that hospital, no matter what! He'd managed to get dressed, and that all but exhausted him. Needing to build up energy for the next task, he sat back down on the bed. His sore throat and cough were gone, but the fatigue and shakiness had taken their places. And if even one person saw him this way, he was doomed.  
  
The door opened and Shirley, Laurie and Reuben entered.   
  
His mother went straight to him. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"  
  
Keith looked up with a jolt. Could she see through his façade?  
  
"Okay." It was only a half-lie.  
  
"You're all signed out and the nurse will be here with the wheelchair," Laurie informed him, putting her arm around him.  
  
He nodded, watching Reuben nearly bursting at the seams. He smiled."You can relax, Reuben. I've decided to go on with the tour."  
  
While the manager looked completely relieved, Keith noticed his mother and sister's disappointment. He continued.  
  
"But only for as long as I can. I don't know what's gonna happen next, but if there comes a time when I'm not able to give it my all up there on that stage, this kid is going home."  
  
That made Shirley smile. "I think we can live with that. Right, Reuben?"  
  
Reuben nodded, tugging on his tie as if to get some air. "Right, of course. But you need to let us know when that is." He looked down at Keith, his face serious.  
  
Laurie nodded vehemently. "Absolutely. No more just passing out on us." She rubbed Keith's shoulder harder with each word.  
  
He smiled. "Fair enough."  
  
"So, I guess it's on to Santa Fe," Shirley sighed almost regretfully. "You're sure about this, honey?"  
  
He nodded. "Very."  
  
She took his chin in her hand, peering into his eyes. He swallowed hard, trying to look alert. "How 'very,' Keith?"  
  
He smiled tiredly. "Don't worry. You'll be the first to know if I made a mistake."  
  
"I'd better be."  
  
Now the nurse was there with the wheelchair and Shirley and Laurie helped him into it while Reuben gathered up Keith's personal effects. Still trying not to show how shaky he was, Keith closed his eyes and said a little prayer.  
  
  
  
Seven hours and nearly 400 miles later, the Partridges found themselves in Santa Fe. Keith was feeling better by now, though still anxious over what was yet to come. Even the slightest possibility of the virus striking again was making him edgy. He knew it would happen sometime, but when, where and how were the questions. Any little ache or pain could mean serious trouble and he knew he had to be prepared.  
  
Their venue here was to be a fair. After stopping by the hotel to freshen up, they once again loaded into the bus to head for the local fairgrounds.  
  
Using the directions the hotel's front desk clerk gave them, Reuben easily found the fairpark, after a good half hour in the scorching heat of the desert.  
  
There were several workers milling about as the psychedelic bus passed the tents and concession stands, heading for the canopied grandstand at the far end of the asphalt covered tarmac.  
  
The kids were hanging out the windows, watching the goings on around them. Reuben slowed the bus and parked it in the back of the stage, where it settled with a sigh.  
  
A hefty Mexican greeted them as the family and their manager stepped off the bus. "Welcome to The Santa Fe County Fair," he grinned, extending a beefy hand to Reuben. "I am Freddie Velasquez, the Fair director."  
  
"Reuben Kincaid, Mr. Velasquez, and this is the Partridge Family." Reuben indicated his group.  
  
"A pleasure to finally meet you, and please, call me Freddie." He nodded, displaying very white, even teeth. "I have a crew around back that will help unload your instruments. Would you like to check out the stage to make sure it fulfills your needs, Mrs. Partridge?"  
  
"That's very kind of you," Shirley smiled. "And it's Shirley. This is Danny, Tracy, Keith, Chris and Laurie." She touched each of her brood on the shoulder as she pointed them out.  
  
Freddie's grin widened even more. "I know all about you. My two kids are big fans of yours." He led them up the stairs to the stage area. It was solid and huge, facing grandstand-type seating that held a few hundred people.  
  
Keith surveyed their surroundings with a professional eye, taking in every little detail. There were plenty of cables to hook up their amplifiers, and enough room so that they could spread out without falling over one another. He glanced up at the mesh canopy above them, the purpose of which was to keep the stage cool and shaded in the desert sun. It either wasn't doing a good job, or he was still running a temperature, because he was feeling extremely warm. He felt a headache coming on and he reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, where the pain was stemming from.  
  
Shirley noticed his move. "Keith? What's the matter?" She didn't want to sound alarmed, but he did look a little pale.  
  
"I'm okay," he smiled tiredly. "Is there someplace around where I can get some water?"  
  
"Sure, in my office up towards the gate," Freddie answered.  
  
"Danny, go with your brother," Shirley ordered, and Keith rolled his eyes.  
  
"What have I ever done to you, Mom?" he asked.  
  
She laughed as the two boys started off. Freddie called after them, "It's a white building, near the cotton candy stand!"  
  
Keith waved his acknowledgement, his hand returning to the back of his neck.  
  
"Are you okay, Keith?" Danny hustled to keep up with Keith's longer strides.  
  
"Yeah," Keith muttered. The headache wasn't really worsening any, but it would if Danny continued bugging him.  
  
"Hey, you want some cotton candy? I've got fifty cents." Danny was getting out of breath. What was Keith's hurry?  
  
"No, but you get you some." Keith spotted the office ahead. Danny sauntered over to the stand nearby and Keith went to the office. Trying the knob, he found it was locked and he sighed, looking skyward, his fingers pressing hard into his neck. Now the pain was heightening and he slumped back against the outer wall. Trying to ignore the throbbing in his head, he pushed himself up and tried knocking. Maybe, just maybe, someone would be inside.  
  
"Dad's not here. Can I help you?" A female voice made him whirl.  
  
He saw a Mexican beauty of all proportions standing there. Her long dark hair was pulled back under a bandana and her full, colorful skirt billowed about her dark legs. He couldn't help but stare.  
  
She suddenly seemed taken by surprise by him, too. She stepped back, bringing a hand up to her bronze throat. "Oh! I…you're Keith Partridge!"  
  
He nodded, shaking off his initial surprise. "Yes…I needed some water, and your dad told me to come here…the door's locked."  
  
She reached into a pocket, producing a key and, hand shaking, reached for the doorknob. Obviously embarrassed, she fumbled with it, finally dropping the key on the ground.  
  
They both reached for it at the same time, their eyes meeting again. As their hands touched, Keith grinned at her. The girl smiled shyly, her eyes averting to the ground.  
  
He gently took the key from her and inserted it into the lock. Twisting the knob, the door opened, and he stepped back, sweeping his hand. "Ladies first."  
  
She slipped in front of him and turned on a light. The office was small, with a desk and telephone and a filing cabinet. Next to the filing cabinet, Keith saw a small water cooler.  
  
The girl didn't look at him, but indicated the cooler. "There is your water."  
  
"Thanks," Keith said, taking a cone-shaped paper cup and filling it with the water from the inverted jar. He popped a painkiller into his mouth and washed it down, his eyes reverting back to the girl, who had opened the filing cabinet and was sifting through the files in the drawer. He guessed that she was just avoiding his gaze and he shrugged, crinkling the cup up and tossing it into the wastebasket next to the desk.  
  
"Thanks again," he started out of the room and he could feel her eyes on his back.  
  
"You're welcome. Can I get you anything else?" It was a sudden turn of events and Keith smiled, turning to look at her.  
  
"No, thanks. What's your name, anyway?"  
  
She blushed again. "I'm sorry. I'm Lena Velasquez."  
  
He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Lena. You already seem to know who I am."  
  
She nodded, trying not to stare at him. He was simply gorgeous. The photos of him she'd seen did not do him justice. "Yes…I love your music. Do you write it yourself?"  
  
"Some," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she nearly melted. "Well, most of it, anyway. I'm glad your father booked us here. Looks like a fun place."  
  
"I could give you a tour of the grounds if you'd like," she blurted, then regretted saying it when she saw the look on his face.  
  
"You know, I would love to do that, but in all honesty, I'm not feeling all that well, and…"  
  
She looked away disappointedly. "Oh, I'm sorry…"  
  
Now he felt like a complete jerk. "Maybe tonight, after the show, we could do something."   
  
Her eyes shot back to his, this time with a spark in them. "That would be fun."  
  
He grinned. "It's a date, then."  
  
There was a commotion outside the door and they turned to see Freddie leading Reuben and the Partridges inside.   
  
"I see you found the place," Freddie boomed.  
  
"Yes, and you left it locked, Daddy. I had to let Keith in," Lena put a hand on her hip.  
  
"Sorry about that. Folks, this is Lena, my eldest daughter. Lena, this is the rest of the Partridge Family, and their manager, Mr. Kincaid."  
  
Greetings were exchanged, and Shirley looked around the small room. "Where's Danny?"  
  
"Oh, he had to have some cotton candy. He probably couldn't decide on what size to get," Keith answered.  
  
"Here I am, Mom," Danny poked a sticky face in the room. "And you're right, Keith, I couldn't decide, so I got one of each!"  
  
Keith rolled his eyes. "Figures," he said, shaking his head. He looked tired, and Shirley put a hand on his arm.  
  
"You still don't feel well, do you?" She asked.  
  
"It's just a slight headache," he answered. It was amazing how she could tell these things. He didn't think it showed that much.  
  
"Well, you should go back to the hotel and rest before the show," Shirley said. Somehow, she knew this was the start of something new, and it was beginning to worry her.  
  
"Aw, Mom, we want to ride the rides!" Chris moaned.  
  
"Yeah, Mom!" Tracy pouted.  
  
"I could drive Keith back to the hotel if you'd like," Lena offered.  
  
He glanced at his mother. She had that uneasy look on her face again. "It's okay with me. That way the kids wouldn't be driving me crazy."  
  
"That's true…I suppose that would be all right. Reuben could direct the stage set-up, and Laurie and I could look at the booths. Thank you, Lena, for your offer."  
  
Lena smiled up at Keith. "You're welcome."  
He smiled back at her.  
  
to be continued....  
  



	3. Part 3

The Long Road, PART 3  
  
Lena's car was a beat up Jeep Wrangler, perfect, she said, for the high desert. The top was down on it and Keith sat back in his seat, feeling the wind rushing at him as she drove down the dirt road leading from the fairgrounds to the highway.  
  
"You sure are quite a distance from the city," Keith said. His headache was still there, clinging to him. He really didn't want to take another painkiller, but it looked like he just might have to.  
  
"Yes we are. We have a house right on the fairgrounds, though, so we don't have to commute. It makes it very convenient."  
  
"So, do you keep busy all year, then? I mean, when the county fair is over, what do you do?"  
  
"We have a lot of rodeos, music acts, vintage car shows, auctions. We're very busy most of the time. Sometimes in the winter, it slacks off, but picks right back up again in the spring." Lena did her best not to look over at him, because she knew that if she did, she would just end up staring at him.  
  
He nodded, noticing her avoiding him. Smiling, he picked at a piece of lint on his pant leg.  
  
It was silent for a good ten minutes, then she spoke. "Tell me about yourself, Keith. I only know things about you that I've read in the fan magazines."  
  
He laughed. "Oh, those. You mean, that I have a girl in every port?"  
  
She nodded, obviously uncomfortable. "Yes."  
  
His demeanor softened. "They make things like that up; you know, to sell the magazine. I'm really not that way at all. In fact, I have a problem finding girls; decent girls, to date. It looks like everyone believes those rags."  
  
She smiled now, glancing at him. "I find that hard to believe, that you would have trouble finding girls. You are so…handsome." She said it without thinking, again regretting it.  
  
This time, it was he who blushed. "Thanks, but it really isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's just hard for me to know if a girl likes me for me or if she likes me because of who I am."  
  
"That would be hard," Lena said. "I can't imagine that sort of life."  
  
"It's different, that's for sure." He felt his head throbbing. "Lena, would you mind finding a drive-inn or something? Looks like I'm going to have to take another pill." He rubbed his forehead.  
  
"Okay, sure. I think there's one just a few miles from here." She glanced uneasily at him. "Are you going to be all right?"  
  
He winced. "I think so, yeah. It's just this headache."  
  
He didn't look at all well, and Lena swallowed. "Do you get these headaches often?"  
  
"No, well…see, I have this virus, and the doctor said it's going to do various things to me. Right now, my head is killing me."  
  
Frightened, Lena clutched the wheel. "Would you rather go to a hospital? You're very pale."  
  
"No…I have painkillers. I just need something to drink." He pressed hard into his forehead.  
  
Swallowing, Lena picked up speed, her eyes searching for a place to stop. Finally spotting a gas station, she pulled the jeep into it, screeching to a stop in front of the drink machine. Keith fished in his pocket for the pill bottle as Lena sprang out, putting a quarter into the vending machine. She barely waited to pull the door open and yanked out a soda, opening it and hurrying back to Keith.   
  
His hand trembled as she placed the pop bottle into it and she watched with concern as he downed the pill.   
  
"It's still another twenty minutes to your hotel," she told him as he put the cold bottle against his forehead, pulling a face. "I think you should go to the hospital."  
  
He shook his head carefully. "No, really, I'll be okay. Thank you." He tried to smile, but it didn't come off. The pain raged on.  
  
  
  
  
The headache had eased somewhat by the time Lena and Keith reached the hotel. Keith unbuckled his lap belt and gingerly stepped out of the jeep as Lena hurried around the car to help him. Hesitantly, she took his arm and they walked into the lobby, going to the elevators. "What floor is your room on?"  
  
Keith rubbed one temple. "Seven. Look, Lena, if you need to go back, I can make it from here …I appreciate your help."  
  
"I'd feel better if I knew you were at least in your room and resting. I don't mind, really. Unless you want me to go…"  
  
"Oh, no…I just thought maybe you had something else to do besides worry over me."  
  
She smiled. "I'd be honored if you let me help you."  
  
The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped inside. Keith sagged against the back wall of the box, his head pounding. Lena kept hold of his arm.  
  
Arriving on the seventh floor, she led him out into the hallway and asked, "Which room, Keith?"  
  
"Seven fourteen," he answered, checking his jeans' pocket for the key.   
  
It was only a few doors down the hall and when they stopped in front of the door, he fumbled with the key, unable to put it into the lock. It dropped to the carpet and the two of them looked at one another.  
  
"Haven't we done this before?" Keith half-smiled.  
  
Lena laughed, displaying her brilliantly white teeth. "It seems familiar! I think it's my turn," she said, bending down to retrieve the key. As she stood up, she found herself dangerously close to his face. She stared up at him as he looked back at her. She was so close, she could see the flecks of green in his brown eyes.  
  
She quickly avoided those eyes and put the key into the lock before they both regretted it.  
  
  
  
Lena sat in one of the huge, wing-backed chairs in the outer room of the suite. Keith had gone into one of the two bedrooms to lie down and when she looked in on him last, she found that he was asleep.  
  
She really didn't feel right, leaving him here alone; he'd looked so despondent, and she certainly didn't want him to collapse or something, so she stayed. His family would be there in a few minutes, anyway; she'd called the fairgrounds to check in with her father, and he said that they had left there.  
  
Hearing a key turning in the lock, Lena jumped up. Shirley was the first one in, and when she saw Lena there, she looked worried. "Oh, Lena, you're still here. Is Keith all right?"  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Partridge. He's asleep. I just wanted to be here in case he needed anything."  
  
Shirley smiled. "Thank you, dear. I'm surprised he let you stay; he's usually quite independent."  
  
"Actually, I don't think he knows I did. He fell asleep rather quickly." Lena checked her watch. "I'd better get back; Daddy needs my help. I'll see you all later tomorrow at the show."  
  
"Thank you again, Lena," Shirley said, squeezing Lena's hand.  
  
When she was gone, Danny and Chris started for the boys' room.  
  
"Let him sleep, kids."  
  
"We just want to see if he has any lipstick on his face or something," Danny said innocently.  
  
"Yeah. I'll bet they were kissing!" Chris smirked.  
  
"Even if they were, it's none of your business," Reuben shook his head. Then, to the boys, "I wouldn't doubt it, though. She was something!"  
  
Shirley rolled her eyes.  
  
  
Keith took a peek at the audience through the heavy curtain in front of the stage. There were a lot of true westerners out there, with their cowboy hats, dungarees and boots. It wasn't your typical Partridge Family crowd, but they'd played to worse. Just eight weeks ago, they'd done a Shriner's convention, full of loud, obnoxious men. Shirley and Laurie were ready to kill Reuben for that one.  
  
He was still conscious of the headache that nagged at the back of his head. It really had never left; just eased off a bit. But there was no time to think about it: they were on!  
  
The curtain parted and the music began. The crowd was appreciative, polite in fact. Definitely not your typical bunch of screaming teenagers.  
  
The first set would last forty minutes, to be followed by another show an hour after that. Keith hoped that darkness would bring a more lively audience. He loved playing up to the girls that were usually pressed up against the stage below, handing him flowers and love beads, their young faces radiating the love they had for him, distant and superficial though it may be.  
  
This was a tough group to win over, he noted. Maybe their biggest hit would do it. He looked behind him at his equally bewildered family, and began the count.  
  
It was then that the flashes of color darted in front of his eyes; purples, and reds and blues. Startled, Keith took a step backwards.   
  
Behind him, the music started then stopped again as the kids and Shirley saw him hesitate.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered, taking another look in back of him. "Lost count. One, two, one, two, three," he said, nodding his head with each beat.  
  
The song began again and he turned back to the front, singing with all he had. 'I'm sleeping, and right in the middle of a good dream, like all at once I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain…'  
  
Another swirl of colors flashed over him again, but this time, he remained steady; on the outside. Something weird was happening here! He nearly forgot the words, but managed to keep singing without missing a beat, as the colors flashed at him again, and again. He felt as if he were under a strobe light of some sort. He closed his eyes, trying to make it stop, gripping his guitar like he could drop it at any time.  
  
Shirley noticed that something was not right. He was standing very still, something he rarely did; almost as if he was afraid he would topple over. She caught Laurie's eye across the stage and saw that her daughter was aware of it, too. Even Danny's usual grin was replaced with a concerned look as his brother kept his back to them.   
  
Just before he ended the song, Keith stopped playing the guitar altogether as both hands clutched the mike stand in front of him. Yet, he sang on.  
  
He ended the number like he normally did, then took a couple of steps backwards, motioning for the curtain to come down. When he turned to them, his face had a look of sheer fright. "Mom…"  
  
"Keith, what is it? What's wrong?" Shirley bolted forward, followed by the rest of the kids.  
  
"I feel funny…I keep getting these flashes of light…I can barely see!" He swallowed, his eyes wide.  
  
Shirley grabbed his arm. "Here, come and sit down. Does your head hurt?" She led him to her piano bench and sat him down, putting a gentle hand on his head.  
  
"Yeah, really bad!" Keith clutched at her. "Mom, I'm scared…"  
  
Shirley looked at Laurie. "Run and get his painkillers, Laurie. They're in his bag in the dressing room."  
  
Laurie hurried off, passing Reuben on the way out. He looked worried, too, running to them.  
  
"What's going on? Keith, are you all right?"  
  
"He's seeing flashes of light and his head hurts. Do you think you need to go to the hospital, honey?"  
  
"I don't know," he said, cringing and feeling the back of his neck. "It just hurts…"  
  
Laurie was back with the pills and some water. Shirley helped him take the pill, while everyone else just stood around, looking worried.   
  
All was silent as he sat there, rubbing his eyes. Shirley absently played with his collar.  
  
"Still seeing them? Can you see at all?"  
  
He looked up. "Yeah, but it's like looking through a tunnel." He swallowed. "Am I going blind?"  
  
"Oh, honey, I don't know…let's get you back to the dressing room so you can rest. If it worsens, Reuben, we're going to have to forget the second set and take him in."  
  
"Okay, I'll tell Freddie." Reuben turned on his heel and hurried out as Shirley and Laurie carefully helped Keith to his feet, each taking an arm.  
  
"Come on, honey. Let us guide you."  
He nodded, letting them carefully move him towards the back of the stage.  
  
  
  
Keith lay on the couch in the boys' dressing room in total darkness. Shirley had put a cold rag on his forehead, and he had an ice pack beneath his neck. The flashing of colors had ceased for the time being, and the pain was slowly dissipating.   
  
He was almost asleep when he heard a soft knock on the door and it opened a crack, letting a dim light in.  
  
"Keith?"  
  
"Yeah, Mom."  
  
Shirley slipped inside. "How are you feeling, now?"  
  
"Better," he answered. "You can turn on the light."  
  
She did so and he blinked at the sudden brightness. She went to him.   
  
"Is it time for the second show?" he asked, looking up at her. His vision was fully restored, now, and he relaxed a little.  
  
"Do you think you can do it?"  
  
"Yeah," he smiled wearily, handing her the rag that he'd had on his forehead.  
  
She watched hesitantly as he pushed himself up. "Oh, honey, you're so weak. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
He nodded. He felt like curling up into a little ball and weeping, but he smiled at her, trying to be brave. "Sure," he said.  
  
She followed him out.  
  
  
  
They did the entire second set with trepidation, everyone staring at Keith until he was almost uncomfortable. Luckily, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the show ended to appreciative applause.  
  
Lena, Freddie, his wife Ellen and their other daughter, twelve-year-old Diana met the Partridges and Rueben backstage.  
  
"Wonderful show!" Freddie said, shaking Shirley's hand with enthusiasm as Diana peered almost shyly at the Partridges from behind her mother's skirts.  
  
"Thank you for having us. Please keep us in mind for next year," Shirley said.  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that…I have the contract all ready in my office, if you don't mind…"  
  
Reuben smiled down at Shirley. "Of course we don't, right, Shirley?"  
  
Shirley sighed. "Of course not."  
  
Freddie and Ellen left their girls with the Partridge kids while Shirley and Reuben followed the Velasquez's.  
  
Lena put her hand on Keith's shoulder. "How are you feeling? My father told me you had to rest between the shows."  
  
"Oh, I'm fine, now, Lena, thank you for asking. But I'm afraid I'll have to forgo the tour of the grounds…the painkillers have made me more than a little sleepy…"  
  
"I understand. You need to rest so you can get better." Lena smiled, seeing her little sister from the corner of her eye. "I think Diana would like your autograph."  
  
Keith smiled at the young girl, who blushed and hid behind her sister.  
  
"Sure. I think I have a photo in one of the bags on the bus. You girls wait here, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Diana murmured, still very shy.  
  
Keith stepped off of the platform as his brothers and sisters began to gather their belongings to pack for the next venue.  
  
Keith rummaged around in the back of the bus, searching for the box that held the family's publicity photos. He knew it was there; he'd lugged it aboard himself. No telling when Reuben would come up with an autograph session at a local record store or even after a show.   
  
He spotted it, finally, hiding behind an amplifier case, and he bent down, reaching for it. It was then that the pain hit, slamming hard into the right side of his head like the business end of a claw hammer.  
  
His hands to his head, he lurched forward, crashing into the huge amp casing and groaning. He didn't dare open his eyes; the pain was throbbing and he clutched at his head. Wanting to scream, he held back, not wanting to cause alarm.  
  
His stomach was churning now and he felt close to vomiting, but he held it down for the moment. The pain kept pounding and his vision was dimming. He was on the verge of panic. Remain calm, he told himself. Things were cloudy, gray, and he reached for something to help bring him to his feet.  
  
He heard Danny's voice. "What are you doing?"  
  
Keith reached out. "Danny?" he murmured.  
  
The voice was closer. "What's the matter?"   
  
Keith's hand found his brother's shirt and he clutched it, pulling him closer. "Danny, don't freak, but…I can't see." Everything was completely black, now.  
  
"Let me get Mom!" Danny said edgily.  
  
"No! I don't want her to know. Help me up…I'm gonna sit here, and maybe it'll come back."  
  
He felt Danny's hands on him, pulling him to his feet. He got him to the nearest seat and Keith continued to cling to his brother.   
  
"You okay?" Danny said in his ear.  
  
Keith nodded, still feeling rather nauseous. Danny waited by him.  
  
The pain was excruciating by now and it took all Keith had not to just cry out. Danny's hand glided over his shoulder blades. "Is it coming back?"  
  
"No…oh, god, Danny…I don't want to go back to the hospital…"  
  
"I know you don't, but you're gonna have to, Keith…it's hurting, isn't it? I can tell by your face."  
  
Nodding, Keith pressed his head into Danny's chest. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, and the pressure on the top of his head felt as if it were going to push his scalp right off. Keith let go a sob.  
  
Danny cradled Keith's head in his hands. "Easy, Keith, easy…" he murmured gently, his own heart generating a beat that could almost be heard over Keith's anguished sobs. He didn't know what to do; how to help his brother. He felt helpless as Keith cried like a baby in his arms. He looked up and saw Laurie heading for the bus, and leaned down, speaking in Keith's ear. "Laurie's coming."  
  
Keith raised his throbbing head as if to look. His fingers curled around Danny's shirtfront. "Don't tell her."  
  
"She's not dumb, Keith. She'll know something's wrong."  
  
As he finished the sentence, Laurie stepped in. "Keith, Diana's waiting for her autograph." Seeing her brothers in the back, she started for them.  
  
"I'm helping him find the picture," Danny almost shouted. "Don't come back here."  
  
Laurie stopped, looking at both boys. Danny's face was red; flustered, and Keith's was… pale; extremely pale, and he'd been crying. Her heart skipped a beat.   
  
"Keith? What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. Like he said, he's helping me find the picture," Keith said in the direction of her voice.  
  
Her intuition told her they were lying. She stepped forward, and was met by a nearly hysterical Danny. "No, don't…he's okay! I'm taking care of it." Danny tried pushing her back.  
  
She gripped his wrists. "Danny Partridge, what is going on here? What are you trying to hide?"  
  
She looked at Keith for a clue. He was clumsily feeling around for the back of the seat and she sagged as it registered.  
  
"Oh, Keith!" she whispered, pushing past Danny to get to him. "You can't see, can you?"  
  
He shook his head, fighting off more tears. He reached up and she grabbed him, taking him in her arms as he broke down again. "Don't tell Mom…I don't want her to know…"  
  
Laurie's chin quivered as she pressed her cheek against his head. "How long have you been this way, Keith?"  
  
"It just happened. I got a sharp pain in my head and everything started going black."  
  
"Does it still hurt?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Danny, why don't you take Diana her picture? I'll stay here with him." Laurie looked at her younger brother. Catching his eye, she silently pointed outside and mouthed, "Go get Mom."  
  
Danny nodded, gulping. "Okay," he said aloud. He reached into the box, grabbed a picture and hurried off down the aisle.  
  
Laurie kept petting Keith's head as it rested on her shoulder. "Can you see anything yet? Anything at all?"  
  
"No," he said, flinching, and wiping his cheek. The pain was still strong enough to make him want to scream, but he stayed in control. The darkness was thick around him and all he could do was visualize Laurie there, holding him. Now, though, he imagined it thickening even more, like smoke, and he gripped Laurie's arm. "Oh, god…"  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Take me outside! I need some air…"  
  
Quickly, she stood him up, her arms around him; guiding him first into the aisle, then to the front of the bus. "Careful, we're at the stairs. Come on, one, two, three…and we're out." She could see he was nearly hyperventilating and her hands never left him once as he dropped to his knees, fighting the urge to throw up; trying to breathe at the same time.  
  
When he heard Shirley cry his name, he winced, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he gasped for air, rocking back and forth. "Oh, god…" he whispered.  
  
He heard several footsteps, but couldn't tell who was there.   
  
"Keith!" Shirley was immediately at his side, pulling him into her arms like Laurie and Danny had done.  
  
"Should I call an ambulance?" he heard Reuben ask.  
  
"No!" Keith gripped his still-throbbing head. "I don't want to go to the hospital…"  
  
"Keith, you're talking nonsense. You're in pain. They can help you…" Shirley told him.  
  
"It'll go away," he moaned. "I just need to rest." He turned his face toward her. "Please, Mom…"  
  
She gasped when she saw his eyes looking back at her, but not seeing anything. She reached up, caressing his face, and his hand came up, touching her hand as she did so.  
  
"If your sight hasn't returned by the time we get back to the hotel, Keith, you're going to the hospital." She said through motherly tears.  
  
"No, Mom…no more hospitals…please…" he whispered.  
  
"Oh, honey, I know you're scared, but if the blindness is permanent…" She cuddled him.  
  
"It won't be; I know it." He swallowed hard, lifting his head. "I just need rest," he moaned tiredly, almost dropping off right then and there.  
  
She looked up at Rueben. "Let's go back to the hotel."  
  
The manager nodded, stepping forward and bringing Keith to his feet.  
  
to be continued....  



	4. Part 4

The Long Road, Part 4  
  
"Keith…"  
  
Someone was shaking his shoulder, and in his daze, Keith moaned, having the nightmare of the past few days rise up and envelop him. Where was he? In the bus, with the sore throat? In the hospital? At the fair, in the dressing room? Sightless, in his mother's arms?   
  
"Keith!" Shirley's voice was almost on the verge of hysteria. Did he dare open his eyes and discover only darkness? What would he do? No, he told himself. Just sleep…escape.  
  
"Keith!" She sounded really agitated, now, and he relented, coming awake. He felt her hands cradling his face. "Open your eyes, Keith…can you see me, honey?"  
  
He forced his eyes open and…saw light. He blinked her into focus; she was smiling so hopefully, tears glistening in her eyes. He smiled back tiredly. "Hi."  
  
"You can see?" Her voice rose three octaves.  
  
"Yeah…" he said, to cheers.  
  
She pulled him forward in a bear hug and he blinked sleepily, checking out his surroundings. They were in the hotel room; he was on the bed. It was dark out; the drapes were open, and a lamp in the corner glowed warmly. Reuben and the kids surrounded him. Danny and Chris joined their brother on the bed, slapping at him happily, and he laughed for the first time in a long time, glancing up at Laurie. She stood with both hands over her mouth, her eyes shining in the light and he reached toward her.  
  
She came forward and he hugged her, too, pecking her cheek. "Thanks, Laur."  
  
She patted his face, looking down at him with such love in her eyes, it almost make him cry.  
  
"Okay," Reuben said, relief evident in his gruff voice. "Let's decide on where to go from here. We have Colorado Springs in two days. What do you want to do?"  
  
"Reuben, please…he's just getting over this trauma…"  
  
Keith squeezed Shirley's hand. "It's okay, Mom. It's important, I know." He looked up at the manager, trying to read his face. "How much trouble would it be to cancel?"  
  
"No more than what I've already done…" Reuben forced out the truth.  
  
Keith took a deep breath. "I want to see how I feel in the morning. If everything's goin' pretty good, we'll head North; if not…" He shrugged, his voice trailing off.  
  
Reuben nodded. "Fair enough."  
  
Shirley smiled. "We'll go, so you can get some sleep."  
  
Keith glanced at his brothers. "Sleep. With Heckle and Jeckle here?" He kicked Danny in the back with his foot, nearly knocking him off the bed.  
  
"I will ignore that, Keith, only because of your recent illness. If you weren't so sickly, I'd challenge you to a pillow fight." Danny said, his nose in the air.  
  
"Do you want Reuben to take the boys for the night?" Shirley asked, taking a peek at the manager.  
  
"Oh, hey, now wait a minute…" Reuben was immediately defensive.   
  
Keith laughed at Reuben's panicked expression. "No, that's okay. I'm pretty used to their antics by now. Usually, I just ignore them."  
  
Shirley's hand swept his cheek. "All right, darling, then…we'll see you in the morning."  
  
He smiled. "'Night, Mom, Laurie…Tracy. I'll let you know first thing, Reuben."  
  
"Yeah, if you hear him screaming, it means the tour's over," Danny grinned.  
  
"Don't even say such a thing!" Laurie pinched her younger brother's shoulder as she passed him on the way out.   
  
"Sweet dreams, fellas," Shirley told her sons as she followed Tracy, Laurie and Reuben out the door.  
  
As the door clicked shut, Danny was bombed with a pillow to the head. Surprised, he turned to find Keith looking hard at him.  
  
"Hey!" Danny frowned.  
  
"Who you calling sickly, huh?" Keith demanded, trying hard, and failing, to look stern.  
  
Danny snatched up the pillow, holding it high. "You, you big wimp!"  
  
Keith sat up, grabbing the lone pillow beneath his head. Chris dived off the bed, getting out of the middle of this standoff.  
  
"Take that back, or you're gonna get it," Keith said warningly.  
  
"No, I won't take it back, because that's what you are," Danny cracked, ready to deliver the first blow.  
  
Suddenly, Keith closed his eyes, putting a hand to his head. "Oh, no…not again…" he moaned, lying back.  
  
Danny lowered the pillow, swallowing. "Keith? You okay?" He moved toward his brother.  
  
The pillow came completely unexpectedly, catching Danny on his shoulder and sending him head over heels off the bed. As he hit the floor, he heard Keith laugh triumphantly. "Call ME a wimp!" he crowed.  
  
Danny scrambled first to get his bearings, then the pillow. The fight was on.  
  
  
  
The morning dawned actually a little chilly, and Danny could see his breath as he stepped outside the hotel to help pack the bus with the Partridges' belongings. As far as they knew, they would be heading up to Colorado as planned, to Reuben's delight. Keith had seemed tired after his bout with the virus yesterday, but Danny attributed it to the all night boys' version of a slumber party. He, Keith and Chris had stayed awake until 3 a.m., talking, joking, pillow fighting. THAT, Danny claimed to have won, though Keith would dispute it to anyone who overheard Danny's victory speech. It was a great night; the three of them acting like uncontrollable adolescents, laughing uproariously at just about any subject that came up. Keith must have felt exceptionally well, because even Danny's relentless teasing didn't seem to ruffle his feathers. And Chris, well, he was just happy to be included in this bonding process…that's what Laurie called it, and Danny could see in her eyes that she was just a tiny bit jealous of the brothers' camaraderie.   
  
"Let's go, let's go," Reuben, standing in the bus' doorway, waved Danny on. "How much more is there?"  
  
"A lot. We could use some help, you know," Danny said as he passed the manager on the bus' stairs.  
  
"You know, you're right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking," Reuben smiled as Danny tossed the suitcase he was carrying into an empty seat.   
  
Danny looked a little surprised at the manager. With his history of back problems, Reuben Kincaid was actually going to help load the bus? An historic event, if ever there was one!  
  
He followed Reuben back into the hotel, where a pile of the Partridges' luggage and instruments waited with Chris and Tracy standing guard. Reuben strode over to the front desk. "Could I have a bell porter take this stuff out for us?"  
  
Danny's admiration of Reuben's sudden change of heart fizzled to a complete and utter standstill. A bell hop? Why didn't HE think of that? He knew why: bell hops wanted tips, and Danny Partridge was a miser, that's why!  
  
"Where's your Mom, Laurie and Keith?" Reuben came back over to the children.  
  
"Still upstairs, I guess. Mom and Laurie are double checking the rooms to make sure no one left anything, and I guess Keith's helping," Danny shrugged. "Or maybe he's fixing his hair. He's only been up for two hours. Takes him that long to comb it."  
  
"But he's okay, right? I mean, physically. He's feeling all right?" Reuben did his best not to sound jittery.  
  
"Relax, Mr. Kincaid. He told you at breakfast he was okay. I doubt anything's happened to change that." Danny rolled his eyes.   
  
  
  
If Keith had tried to feel any better, he couldn't. He'd been down with that virus for so long, he'd nearly forgotten what it was like to NOT to be sick. But, for now, he was feeling exceptionally well, and frankly, it worried him a bit. Dr. Carter had warned him it would be like a rollercoaster ride; one moment he could be up and flying high, and the next minute, his health could plummet. There was no leveling out with this disease, whatever it was. He knew he had to take advantage of every little second he felt good, because, in the end, the bad times would outweigh the good, and he needed to prepare himself and those around him for such times.  
  
"Keith? You ready to go?" Shirley looked in the room.   
  
He was sitting cross-legged on the edge of one of the unmade beds, his guitar in his hands, strumming it softly. His mother had not allowed him to do any of the packing and subsequent transporting of the luggage. She was still being cautious of his condition and had ignored his cries of protest as he watched even little Tracy haul out bags nearly twice her size. It had provoked Danny into calling him a sickly wimp again, but even in jest, Keith felt embarrassed. He was supposed to be the man of the family! But Shirley had not relented and he finally relinquished himself to tooling around with the guitar as everyone around him worked their behinds off. Yet, no one, with the exception of Danny, of course, had spoken any ill of the situation and let him get the rest his mother had wanted him to. After all, she told him, he would need to rest up for the next venue, anyway, and it was never too soon to start doing just that.  
  
Keith looked up at his mother. "Can I bring this, or should I call for help?" he smiled, indicating the guitar in his hands.  
  
Shirley wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm sorry, honey…I just didn't want you wearing yourself out."  
  
He slid off the bed. "You," he said, slipping his arm around her shoulders, "Are a worry wart."  
  
"Wait until you have children," she smiled, putting her arm around his waist.   
  
"Why, so they can wait on me, too?" He grinned as she pulled him closer.   
  
"Just go downstairs so Reuben doesn't get an ulcer."  
  
He kissed her cheek. "Coming?"  
  
"Laurie and I will be down in a jiffy. We just need to check under all the beds. Remember, last time, we found Tracy's favorite doll wedged between the wall and the bed?"  
  
"Yeah, and I think I remember a certain blond brother admitting he put it there, just to see what she'd do." Keith laughed. "I'm glad Laurie and I were never that mean to each other."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't exactly say that, either," Shirley batted his rear. "Now, go!"  
  
He avoided her swat with perfect timing, laughing and going out the door.  
  
  
  
The four hour trip up to Colorado Springs was a complete delight for all seven passengers aboard the Partridge's wildly painted limo. Shirley and Reuben took turns driving, while Laurie and Danny played a card game and Keith read out loud to Chris and Tracy; a virtual first for him in that capacity. Usually they bugged Laurie to read to them, but when Tracy brought out a large book of Fairy Tales and climbed up into the seat where Keith was, there was no turning back for him. Chris soon joined them and with Laurie and Shirley watching with great amusement, Keith read them story after story, mimicking the characters with great gusto, making the children laugh delightedly.  
  
As he started in on what had to be the hundredth story, he found his audience had more than doubled, for Laurie, Danny and Shirley gathered around him, listening, too. A little self-conscious at first, he finally settled back into the task at hand and soon he had the entire family nearly rolling in the aisles.  
  
They weren't aware of the bus having slowed down, when Reuben called from up front: "Gas and goodies break!"  
  
"Aw, Mr. Kincaid, Keith was just getting to the good part…" Danny moaned over his shoulder.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but we're almost out of gas and my stomach's growling," Reuben answered, pulling the huge monster into a filling station just off of the highway.  
  
"We need to let Keith rest his voice, anyway…he has to sing tomorrow," Shirley smiled, patting his hand as the bus slowed and came to a stop.  
  
"That was great, Keith…I never heard the Three Bears like that before," Chris grinned.  
  
"Yeah, Keith, that was neato!" Tracy said, giving her oldest brother a thankful hug.  
  
"You should look into being a teacher," Laurie said, seriously.  
  
"Really. I'd love to have you teach one of my classes," Danny nodded. "I'd get A's for sure!"  
  
"You think so, huh?" Keith smirked, closing the book as the kids and Shirley meandered their ways to the front of the bus.  
  
"Well, sure. It goes without saying," Danny continued, moving so Keith could get up, too. "I mean, we ARE brothers, flesh and blood. You couldn't fail me; you'd let the Family down."  
  
Keith laughed, stepping into the aisle behind his red-headed brother. "I don't think you have much to worry about, Danny…"  
  
Danny jumped out of the bus, skipping the stairs per his usual habit. It had gotten warmer with the advancing afternoon and he took a deep breath, hauling in all the clean air.  
  
Keith stepped out, heading for the men's room while the others checked out the vending machines. Inside the small room, he stopped at the sink as he caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired; the virus had really taken a lot out of him thus far… Wondering what was next, he got his answer immediately as he noticed a stream of blood starting out of his left nostril. He instinctively reached up grabbing a paper towel and dabbing at the blood as it flowed heavier.  
  
Coughing, he leaned hard over the sink. Now he was dizzy and he gripped the counter with one hand while pressing the towel to his face with the other. He could feel the blood seeping through the paper onto his hand, and he grabbed several more towels out of the container, coughing again as the room spun around him. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing the lightheadedness away, opening them only when he heard the door behind him squeak.  
  
"Keith!" It was Reuben, and he was at Keith's side in an instant, his face bunched in worry.  
  
"I'm okay," Keith said, sounding a little muffled through the paper towels. "It's just a nosebleed."  
  
Reuben took his arm as Keith coughed hard again, the blood now making its way down the back of his throat. "You sure? You look like you're gonna pass out."  
  
Keith shook his head, leaning it back, the paper towels scrunched hard in his hand. "It's slowing down…" he said rather tiredly.  
  
Reuben grabbed more towels from the container on the wall and moistened them with water from the sink. He gently took the bloodied ones from Keith's hand, replacing them with the wet ones. "That's good…pinch your upper lip; that might stop it quicker."  
  
Nodding, Keith did as he was told and Reuben watched him anxiously. After a minute, Keith slowly, carefully moved the towels away from his face. Reuben didn't relax until Keith said, "It's stopped."  
  
Blowing out a breath, the older man put a heavy hand on Keith's shoulder. "That's a relief. Must've been the virus acting up again, huh?"  
  
"Guess so." Keith tossed the used towels into the trash bin and washed his hands. He was still a little lightheaded, but Reuben didn't need to know that.  
  
"You're okay, though, right? I mean, you're not in any pain or anything, are you?" Reuben fidgeted.   
  
Keith gave him a weary smile. "I'm fine, Reuben, don't worry."  
  
"Well, it's just that you…well, you just looked so darned pale. And don't tell me not to worry. I get paid to worry!" It would have sounded serious without Reuben's smile of relief.  
  
Keith laughed, in spite of the fear striking his heart. "Okay, okay. But do me a favor and not mention this to anyone. Mom and the kids DON'T get paid to worry."  
  
Reuben nodded.  
  
to be continued...  



	5. Part 5

The Long Road, Part 5  
  
Keith forced his sleep-laden eyes open, feeling nothing but pain everywhere. He found himself in the bus, which was parked in front of the hotel. Reuben was sitting in the driver's seat, doing a crossword puzzle, but there was no one else about, and Keith sat up, hurting and confused for a moment. He remembered falling asleep just after they'd left the filling station, but that was it.   
  
At the first sign of life from the singer, Reuben got up, coming down the aisle towards him. "How you feel?"  
  
Keith rubbed his eyes, his entire body aching tremendously. He wondered if the pain was showing on his face. "Where are we? Where is everybody?"  
  
"At the hotel," Reuben answered, sitting in the seat in front of Keith. "And I sent the family over to the concert hall in a limousine. Danny was ecstatic." Reuben smiled.  
  
Keith nodded, smiling to himself at the image of Danny living high off the hog, even if it was only for twelve blocks. "You…didn't tell Mom about the nosebleed…"  
  
"Nope. Once you fell asleep, she was concerned, but I told her to just let you rest and that I would bring you over later. You didn't answer my question. How do you feel?" Reuben pressed.  
  
Keith shrugged. There was no way he was going to add to the manager's worry and tell him the whole truth. "Okay. Tired, a little achy. Probably because I've been in one position for two hours. Once I stretch my muscles, it should be business as usual."  
  
Reuben eyed him. The kid was a little on the pale side; even more so since they'd left the gas station. "Are you sure? The show's not until tomorrow. I can take care of things now and we can head back to San Pueblo."  
  
Shaking his head, Keith pulled himself up. Every muscle in his body reacted to the movement and he did his best not to let Reuben see it. "We're here, now. Might as well fulfill the contract, right?" He patted Reuben's shoulder and reached for his duffel bag and guitar that sat behind him. "Have we checked in? I'd like to get out of these clothes and into my grubbies for the soundcheck and rehearsal."  
  
Reuben produced the key, still scrutinizing the boy, not totally convinced he'd been telling the truth about his condition. "Room 945. I'll come with you." He knew better than to just offer to go, because Keith would just tell him no.  
  
Too weary to argue, Keith nodded and Reuben grabbed the heavy guitar from him and led the way out of the bus.  
  
  
  
Reuben pulled the bus up to the backstage door of the concert hall, watching Keith, who sat behind him, in the mirror. His young charge had changed into a baggy sweatshirt and faded jeans, making him look even younger and more weary, and frankly, he could tell he was in some sort of pain, though Keith wasn't about to admit it.  
  
"Everyone should be on stage. Go on ahead and I'll get the crew to unload all the gear," Reuben told him, putting the bus in park and opening the door.  
  
Keith got up, taking his guitar and Reuben watched with concern as the boy stepped down off the stairs and more or less dragged into the building. This can't be good, Reuben thought. The kid was worsening more and more as time went on. Hopefully, Shirley would take care of the situation.  
  
Once inside the building, Keith stopped walking, putting the guitar down. It seemed like every muscle, bone and joint was on fire… Leaning back against the wall, he closed his eyes. He couldn't let on in front of the family. Mom would have him in the bus headed west in an instant.   
  
"Keith?"  
  
It was Laurie, and he quickly pushed away from the wall, trying to sum up strength and vigor.  
  
His sister was coming toward him and he forced a smile, weary though it was. "Sorry I'm late…had to change."  
  
"You look awful. Are you okay?" Laurie put her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Tired, maybe. Where is everybody?" Keith reached down for the guitar, his muscles screaming.  
  
"Sitting around in the auditorium, waiting for you and the equipment. Are you sure you're all right?"  
  
"Yes! Why does everybody keep asking me that?" He lifted the guitar and pulled a painful face.   
  
Laurie took the instrument from his hand. "You're hurting again, aren't you? Is it your head?"  
  
He shook his head, waving her concerns away with his hand. "It's just a little muscle spasm. I'll take a pain pill and that will be that." He reclaimed the guitar, moving off with her trailing worriedly behind. "Is there a restroom around here?"  
  
Laurie nodded. "Up ahead, on the right. Keith…"  
  
They had reached the men's room door and Keith stopped, the pain flashing in his eyes. "What?"  
  
She held out her hand. "I'll hold the guitar, unless you want to write a song while you're in there."  
  
Her grin made him laugh. "I'll take a pill and be right out."  
  
She nodded as he slipped through the door.  
  
  
  
The rehearsal was not going well. Between the painkillers and his dizzy state, Keith was in a quandary. It was as if he were barely able to function. The guitar around his neck weighed twice what he did himself, and the music was just echoing in his ears, not making any sense. He stumbled across the words, having to stop, letting the others take it, then finding his place and rejoining.   
  
The family and Reuben noticed his confusion, too, but Shirley had decided not to say anything. She knew the virus had everything to do with it, and she also knew that Keith was just stubborn enough to overcome it.   
  
However, after about his twentieth mistake, he backed away from the microphone, looking completely flustered. "I'm sorry…I can't do this…"   
  
Everyone looked completely stunned as Keith yanked the guitar away from his body as if it were the culprit that was causing all the pain and misery. Swinging around, he slipped out of the strap, shoving the instrument at Danny and leaving the stage. Keith Partridge had never bagged a rehearsal in his life, and now here he was, walking out.  
  
"Mom?" Laurie asked, watching as Keith went down the steps, heading for the seats in the blackened auditorium.   
  
"I'll check on him. You kids go on back to the dressing room and eat." Shirley directed.  
  
"I'll go with you," Reuben offered, and he and Shirley followed Keith's path.  
  
He was slumped in an aisle seat a few rows from the front. It was so dark in there, they could barely see him.  
  
"Keith, honey, what's wrong?" Shirley knew she didn't have to ask, but she did anyway. She sat down beside him, and Reuben chose to stand.  
  
At first, he didn't answer. He just sat there staring towards the stage as if he never heard her at all. Then, when he did speak, it was soft, anguished. "I can't do it, Mom. I can't play…I can't remember the tune, the words…" he shook his head, looking up at them through the mass of hair that fell down towards his handsome face. "I feel scared…numb, you know?"  
  
"It's just the virus, honey…it's acting up a little, giving you fits…it's not you," Shirley soothed.  
  
"What's gonna happen tomorrow night, at the show? Suppose I mess up?" His eyes darkened with fear as he stared up at them. "I'll ruin everything…"  
  
Shirley looked up at Reuben. Keith was absolutely right. If he continued on like this, there was no telling what would happen. The manager tugged uneasily at his tie, shrugging helplessly.  
  
Shirley took a deep breath, petting Keith's head. "You won't, because you know what? We'll be there to back you up. If you make a mistake, we'll cover for you. We can have the words to the songs taped there on the floor so you can't forget them. We'll all pull through this together, and then, after it's over, perhaps we'd better head home." She looked hard at Reuben, emphasizing the last two words.  
  
Keith gulped. "I'm scared, Mom." Tears glinted in his eyes in the dim light.  
  
She pulled him close, rubbing his shoulder hard. "Don't be, sweetheart. We're all here for you."  
  
He closed his eyes, feeling completely exhausted, dizzy and achy. He knew his mother was right. She and his brothers and sisters were there for him, always. He just hoped that, come what may, everything would turn out come showtime.  
  
  
  
Keith sat alone on the stage, his guitar in his lap. The others were eating a catered lunch in the dressing rooms, but Keith had declined the food, determined now more than ever to overcome his problem with the music. Shirley had not pressed him to eat, even though she worried about his health. She knew he needed the nutrition and the energy, but she also knew that when it came to his music, her son had certain priorities, and eating was always way down on the list. She'd convinced him to at least take a sandwich and a can of pop with him, but he'd forgotten about them, now, as he sat there on the stool in the middle of the stage, strumming the guitar, letting the words flow. If it had been anyone else, they would have been completely inhibited from doing such a thing, but Keith wasn't just anyone. He wanted the show to be a success, no matter how he felt. He couldn't let down the Family, the fans. The virus was not going to win, not this time.   
  
Over and over, he played the songs that should have already been embedded in his mind, singing the lyrics that were like breathing to him. He stayed there until he got them down pat, and would have done so if it took him all day.  
  
He was so into the music that at first he didn't notice that, somewhere along the line, a piano had joined in, and startled, he looked up to see Laurie sitting to his right, playing right along with him. She grinned at him, and he smiled back, not missing a beat. The two continued their duet, Laurie's sweet voice blending the harmony to his melody just perfectly.  
  
As he closed the song, he turned to her, speaking softly. "That was great, Laur. Thanks."  
  
She rose from the bench, going up behind him, both hands massaging his shoulders. "It was great, and you know why? Because you, dear brother, are Keith Partridge, and the Keith Partridge I know is great at everything he does."  
  
He seemed embarrassed at her words, but let her go on with the massage, feeling the strength in her hands as she kneaded his muscles, working at the knots at the base of his neck.  
  
He could have let her do it all day, but he knew there was work to do. "Wanna call the others, and we can have a real rehearsal?"  
  
She leaned down, playing with his hair. "You sure you're ready?"  
  
"We'll find out," he sighed, and she kissed his head, moving off.  
  
  
  
  
The second rehearsal flowed nicely, and they played until early evening, just for Keith's sake, then went back to the hotel. Exhausted, Keith went to bed early and slept undisturbed until midnight.  
A crashing sound awakened him with a start and he sat up in the bed, his heart pounding. Dizziness overtook him for the moment and he put a hand to his head, waiting for it to pass. The swirling finally ended and, looking over at the other bed where his brothers slept peacefully, he swallowed, taking a deep breath. He had to have dreamt it, whatever it was…it was if someone had dropped Chris' drums down a flight of stairs; it had been that loud and that real. Now, he was hurting again, and he kicked the covers off. Grabbing the pill bottle from the nightstand between the beds, he padded into the bathroom.   
  
Staring at his ragged self in the mirror, Keith downed another painkiller. He wondered if this was what a junkie looked like, with the sunken eyes, the pallor, the gray tinted skin. He was a mess.  
  
Suddenly, a sharp pain caused him to double over and he clenched his teeth, trying not to cry out. The pain hit him right in the gut and took away his breath. It left him weak, and he sank to his knees on the cool tiled floor, panting like a puppy. Pulling in some air, he stayed put, arms around his middle. Dear god, what would be next? Was the virus ever going to leave him? And, why him in the first place? Why not Laurie, or Danny…not that he wished this on anyone, not even his worst enemy.   
  
Another pain ripped through him and this time, he groaned in spite of himself. He half-hoped his tortured moan would awaken one or both of the boys; he really didn't want to endure this alone.  
  
He found himself unable to move, now. Every way he turned caused intense pain, and he held back from screaming, groaning again and folding over as still another pain seized his insides. Finally, he could take it no longer.   
  
"Danny!" he cried, his voice strained, and his face wet with tears. "Oh, god… Danny!"  
  
From his vantage point on the floor, he saw the door sweep open and a pair of bare feet. He couldn't look up; still couldn't move.   
  
"Keith, what's the matter?" Danny sounded horrified, but sleepy.  
  
Keith felt his brother's touch on his shoulders and back. Still huddled there, shaking for all he was worth, Keith cried out again. "Oh, god, Danny, get Mom or Reuben…I can't move!" he begged.  
  
He saw the feet leave and just before another dizzy spell hit him, he saw Chris' smaller feet standing in the doorway.  
  
"Keith?" the child's voice echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls.  
  
It was all he could remember.  
  
  
  
Keith's eyes flew open. He was in the hotel room, on the bed. Light was peeking through the curtain opening, and he lay there for a moment before trying anything stupid as to try to move. When he braved it, he was pleased to find there wasn't any pain, and he rolled over all the way.  
  
Shirley was sitting in the chair, keeping vigil as usual and she looked over at him, smiling. It was too dim in the room to make out her entire features, but he'd recognize that smile anywhere.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Okay. I thought…after last night…"  
  
She read his thoughts. "We called the hotel doctor and he gave you some morphine for the pain. Don't you remember any of that?"  
  
He shook his head as she reached down, caressing his face. "No. I must've been pretty out of it, huh?"  
  
"Oh, I'd say you were well into it, my dear. You were screaming the entire time. Oh, Keith, I don't ever want to go through that again…you don't know what that does to a mother's heart." She took his hand, moving to the bed beside him.   
  
He sat up, going into her arms. His muscles were still stiff, but he managed to wrap his arms tightly around her. "I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing his head hard into hers. "I guess I scared the kids, too, huh?"  
  
"We made them all sleep in our room. Reuben took them to brunch, so I haven't seen them. Danny, Tracy and Chris were hysterical last night, though. They were so worried that you were going to die…" Shirley pulled away from him, taking his head in her hands.  
  
"I felt like it, believe me," Keith swallowed, as she pushed his hair away from his face, staring into his eyes.  
  
"I need the truth, Keith. Do you need to go to the hospital?"  
  
He took a deep breath. "No, Mom…I'm okay. Sore, but okay."  
  
She just sat there looking at him for the longest time. He didn't look away, and she took it for the truth. "If you do, will you tell me?"  
  
A smile tugged on the edge of his mouth. "I don't think I'd have to."  
  
She leaned in, kissing his face and pulling him toward her again. When they parted, she had both hands in his hair. "I don't ever want to see you in that much pain again, do you hear me?"  
  
He sighed. "I know…I said I was sorry." Forcing a smile he asked, "What time is the show tonight?"   
  
"Six o'clock. Just enough time for some shopping. Laurie and I are going. I don't suppose you'd like to come?"  
  
He glanced at the clock. Noon, already! "No. I think I'll just hang around here, maybe go back over to the concert hall and work some more on the songs."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked, then to his look, she relented. "Don't over do it, honey. Yesterday, the rehearsal went fine. Don't burn yourself out…you're going to make yourself sicker."  
  
"Well, I'm still not sure I gave it my all yesterday. I can do better than that."  
  
She put her hands on either side of his face. He was so determined, so stubborn. It wouldn't matter what she said, he would do what he wanted, anyway. "You are so much like your father. He never gave up, either."  
  
He smiled tiredly, putting his hand on hers. "I'll take that as a compliment. So, what's Reuben gonna do all day?"  
  
"Reuben is taking care of the upcoming tour dates so that we can take you home and get you over this."  
  
He frowned. "Isn't he jumping the gun a little? I mean, I hate to cancel any show, Mom. I don't like disappointing people."  
  
She sighed, her fingers raking through his hair. "I know, sweetheart, but with this virus wreaking havoc on you, we can't risk it. Your health is far more important."  
  
He nodded just to make her feel better.   
She reached down, taking his hand. "Need anything while we're out?"  
  
"Nope. Hey, Mom, if I'm not here when you get back, I'll be over at the hall."  
  
"All right, but like I said, don't over do it. All we need is for you to collapse during the show."  
  
He grinned, however tiredly. "Might make for an interesting evening, huh?"  
  
She shook her head. "It would certainly make it memorable. But let's not try it, okay?"  
  
"Okay," he agreed as she got up, squeezing his hand and exiting.  
  
  
  
While his mother and sister shopped, Keith found himself the unofficial babysitter for his youngest siblings. Reuben spent most of the afternoon on the phone with the concert promoters canceling the rest of the tour, much to Keith's disgruntlement. He knew his mother was right; he'd pushed this virus thing as far as he'd dared, and after last night's fiasco, he was willing to just pack it in, but it still bothered him to cancel on his fans.   
  
The kids wanted to go swimming, so Keith followed their eager little bodies out to the pool, where he was happy just to fall into a chair and put his feet up. As soon as Reuben was finished with his task, Keith would ask him to drive him to the concert hall for some last minute rehearsing by himself.   
  
The sun felt good on his aching muscles, and Keith relaxed, lying back in the chair while Danny, Chris and Tracy took advantage of the uncrowded pool. It was almost silent around him; too silent. Keith looked over to find his little brothers and sister at the pool's edge, all staring at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Keith wanted to know.  
  
"Nothing. We were…" Danny glanced at Chris beside him. "Watching you."  
  
Keith shifted uneasily in the chair. "Why?"  
  
"No reason," Danny shrugged.  
  
"Mom told us to keep an eye on you," Tracy spoke up, and Danny rolled his eyes.  
  
"Tracy!"  
  
Keith fought to keep from smiling. "Oh, well, I'll be okay. You guys go ahead and have fun."  
  
"You sure?" Chris asked, his boyish face completely serious.  
  
"I promise," Keith assured him, letting the smile go as the boys whooped and turned away from the edge, splashing away. He closed his eyes, lying back once more. He didn't see Tracy come out of the pool and head for him.  
  
Her shadow fell across his face and he looked up, startled to see her standing there.  
  
"You want something, kiddo?" Keith asked, looking into her eyes.  
  
She shook her head and climbed onto the lounge chair with him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. She snuggled against him, and he heard her sniff.  
  
A little taken aback, he put his arm around her. "What's wrong, Tracy?"  
  
"You were crying last night, and they wouldn't let me hug you. I thought you were going to die," she said softly into his shirt.  
  
Keith looked skyward, her confession bringing tears to his eyes. He gently stroked her long, strawberry blonde hair as she cuddled even closer. "I'm sorry, baby," he said softly. "I could have used that hug." He kissed her head, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Damned virus, anyway!  
  
to be continued...  



	6. part 6

The Long Road, Part 6  
  
Try as he might, Keith could not keep away from the concert hall. He'd gotten Reuben to take him over there at two o'clock and he played his little heart out until it was time to let the crowd in.   
He was already dressed and ready backstage when the others came traipsing in from their day at the pool, the stores, wherever their afternoon took them.  
  
"Well, this is a change, you being ready before anyone," Laurie teased when she saw him in his costume.  
  
"Yeah, Keith, you're usually the pokey one," Chris commented.  
  
"That's because he's always doing his hair," Danny said with a grin.  
  
Keith smiled at their jesting. "I'm just anxious to get out there and do this. Is my collar down in back, Mom?"  
  
Shirley smoothed his shoulder. "You look just fine, honey. Come on, the rest of you'd better get dressed, too. The curtain goes up in fifteen minutes."  
  
She ushered them to their respective rooms as Reuben and Keith remained behind in the larger room.  
  
"So, get the rest of the tour all canceled?" Keith peered in the mirror, fussing with his hair.  
  
"I did. Why, you having regrets?" the manager watched his reflection.  
  
Keith glanced back at him via the mirror. "Well, sure. You know how I hate to do that. Our fans are very important to me."  
  
Reuben smiled gently. "I know. I rebooked the cancellations for the fall."  
  
Keith sighed, straightening. "I just hope this stupid virus is gone by then."  
  
"It will be. You're looking better all the time."  
  
Keith closed his eyes. He knew that Reuben was just pacifying him. Heck, he could see just how bad he looked; there was the reflection right in front of him, for Pete's sake!   
  
"Are we ready?" Shirley and the girls were back, dressed and eager to go on. Danny and Chris joined them almost immediately and their mother surveyed her little group.   
  
Keith felt butterflies growing and he swallowed.  
  
Seeing Keith's apprehension, Danny grinned. "It's gonna be good," he nodded at his older brother, trying to get a smile out of him.   
  
"It will be, you'll see. We're gonna knock 'em dead," Laurie added enthusiastically.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Tracy tugged on Keith's arm, her face shining up at him.  
  
Keith hung back. "I'll be right there."  
  
"Keith…" Shirley said.  
  
He nodded toward the door. "Go on…I just need to do something."  
  
Danny grinned. "Bathroom's back there."  
Keith ignored the redhead, his eyes meeting Shirley's. She nodded, gathering her brood.  
"Come on, kids. We'll be onstage, darling."  
  
She and the kids filed out, as Keith looked at Reuben. "You can go, too, Reuben."  
  
"You sure you're coming?" Reuben scowled.  
  
"I promise…I won't be…thirty seconds."  
  
The manager exited, too, and Keith turned away from the door, blowing out a breath. The butterflies had settled, but now there was a new problem. Leaning forward, he pressed into his chest, tensing with the constriction that ended in a dull pain. He wanted to vomit, but knew he didn't have time. The pain eased, and trembling, he pulled the door open.  
  
  
  
In spite of the incident in the dressing room, the show got off to a normal start. They opened with "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted," followed by a hard rocking "Am I Losing You," on which, Keith displayed some brilliant guitar playing. There was only one problem, he seemed to be getting physically weaker as the songs went on. It was getting to be a chore to carry around the guitar, and it showed in his movements. He sat down through the next two songs: "Morning Rider On the Road" and "Every Song Is You," which were soft, easy going songs, but he had some fairly raucous numbers coming up and he knew he would need to stand. Maybe, he thought, if he kept moving. So, he abandoned the guitar for the moment and slipped the mic out of its stand as he introduced "Bandala" and "Rollercoaster."   
  
As he sang the latter, Shirley noticed that as he walked around, he seemed to weave a little more than usual, and she caught Laurie's eye. Her daughter acknowledged Shirley's concern and they watched Keith as he wavered there in front of them, sweat pouring off his young face. Something was awry here, and Shirley almost cursed under her breath at her son to hurry and end the set.  
He didn't stop until four songs later, and the curtain closed to thunderous applause from the audience, who immediately began shouting for an encore.   
  
Keith stepped over toward the drums, grabbing a towel off the pile and wiping at his face. He was as dizzy as all get out, but he wasn't about to tell anyone that. "Okay," he breathed. "Let's do the encore."  
  
"No. No encore. We're through here," Shirley stepped away from her piano.  
  
"Mom, they're calling for it. We have to do it. We can't stop, now."  
  
"Wanna bet?" Shirley almost looked angry. "You are exhausted, Keith. There's no way you could sing one more note."  
  
He flashed a dimpled smile at her. "Yeah, I can. Come on. We have to do "I Think I Love You." You want a mob scene?" Keith signaled to the stage hand to open the curtain.  
  
It quickly parted, catching Shirley away from her piano, and, with mixed feelings, she sat back down, looking worried as her eldest began the music. The others joined in almost hesitantly and the song billowed forth.   
  
Keith made the rounds to each member of the family, singing with them and growing whiter at each turn. As he almost slumped onto the piano bench next to Shirley, the two of them acted cheerful for the crowd, and Shirley saw in his eyes that he was nearly to the end of his rope. She couldn't tell if he was just plain exhausted, in pain, or both, but something was not right, she could see it on his face as he got up, moving over to Danny.  
  
He bent down, singing with all he had, grinning once again plastically at Danny for the audience and Danny forced a smile he didn't feel, his eyes not leaving his brother's wan face.   
Keith tousled the red-head's hair and, without missing a note, he wandered almost aimlessly toward Laurie, his entire face dotted with sweat. He dropped onto the bench by her, still singing gallantly. Their eyes connected and Laurie was aghast when she saw that exhaustion was slowly overtaking him, yet he pushed on, determined to finish it. She glanced away towards her mother, slightly shaking her head as he pushed up off the bench and nearly stumbled over to Tracy.   
  
The little girl stared up at him as he sang to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He looked ready to topple over, but still he pressed on and stepped around to join Chris. The end of the song was still a few seconds away and Shirley had to hold back from ending it prematurely as she watched her oldest and youngest sons bond musically behind her.  
  
Keith leaned in towards his brother, singing as hard as ever. The blond smiled at him, expertly keeping the beat as the older boy hovered over him. Keith's chest was tightening, feeling like a boa constrictor around it, and it was taking his breath away. He grabbed onto the back of Chris's chair, his face drenched with sweat and a look of fear in his eyes. He tried to keep singing, but the dizziness and the chest pain took over. With a groan, Keith collapsed into the drum kit, his hand pressing hard into his chest.  
  
The crash echoed across the stage as five very frightened Partridges first stood there numbly, then reacted, running towards the fallen lead singer, their mother crying out his name in horror.  
In the wings, Reuben himself grabbed the cords and yanked the curtains shut, then ran over to where Shirley was on her knees, Keith's head in her lap.   
  
"Oh, dear god, Reuben, get an ambulance!" Shirley wailed, patting Keith's cheeks as he lay there motionless.   
  
"What can I do, Mom?" Laurie gulped, staring down at her brother.  
  
"Take the kids back to the dressing room," Shirley ordered. "Then come back and help me with him."  
  
Laurie did as she was told, ushering the three youngest Partridges to the back stage area.  
Shirley moved Keith's head to the side. "Keith! It's Mom. Keith, can you hear me?" she pleaded for some sort of response. She looked him over for any injuries he may have sustained while on his way down, and found a cut near the hairline above his left eye, but other than that, there were no apparent bruises or other cuts.  
  
Laurie was back at her side in no time. "Oh, Mom, do you think he's okay? He didn't look well at all…"  
  
"I know. I didn't think he'd make it through the song…why didn't he listen to me and not do that encore?" Shirley's eyes stung with tears. She bent down over his still form, stroking his head as she'd done so many times before.   
  
He moaned, moving his head as if her touch was painful and she instinctively pulled back. "Keith?"  
  
Groaning, he rolled over on his side, curling up in a fetal position, his arms around his middle and almost gasping for air. To Shirley and Laurie's horror, they saw blood flowing from his nose and he choked, holding his stomach and moaning.  
  
"My god, Mom, he's bleeding…" Laurie said tearfully.  
  
"Hand me those towels, Laurie! Hurry!" Shirley cupped Keith's chin in her hand, gently turning his face towards her. The blood was pouring out of both nostrils.  
  
Laurie grabbed all the towels from the pile in front of the drum set and Shirley hurriedly put one to Keith's face and one under his head. "Okay, now go find out what's keeping Reuben, and bring me some water or ice or something!" Shirley pressed the towel against her son's face, pulling it away only to discover more blood.  
  
Keith moaned again, balling up more and coughing hard. Shirley rubbed his back, letting him bleed onto the towel beneath his head. "It's okay, honey…we're getting you some help…" she told him softly, all the while looking anxiously around her for Reuben. She needed his strength right now…she needed to be comforted herself.  
  
When she heard his voice, she nearly broke down. "The ambulance is coming. How's he doing?" Seeing the blood, Reuben stiffened, suddenly remembering the scene in the gas station bathroom. He hadn't told Shirley about it; he'd promised Keith he wouldn't, and now he was torn between his loyalty to Keith and Shirley's right to know. Perhaps later would be a good time to bring it up, he thought. Now, she just needed solace. No need to upset her even more.  
  
He bent down beside her and she shook her head, relieved that he was there. "Not good, Reuben…oh, I just don't know what to do!" she looked at him, the tears spilling as freely as Keith's blood.  
  
He did what she hoped he would. He put a strong arm around her. "He'll be okay. They'll put him in the hospital where he belongs and maybe they can find out what's going on and fix this."  
  
Shirley nodded, staring down at her son as he lay there curled up in front of her. Of course they would find out what was wrong, wouldn't they? They had to. Keith - they - couldn't go on like this! It hurt to see one of her children in distress. Laurie's braces, Danny's tonsils. Keith had had more than his fair share of disasters for sure. Appendicitis, chicken pox, measles, sports injuries, you name it; Keith had it. It was as if someone had a voodoo doll of his likeness and enjoyed sticking pins in it every once in a while. He hadn't been a sickly child, but somehow he picked up anything and everything that came his way. And it had just escalated as he got older. She remembered his last bout with the flu. He'd tried to brave it out, just like he was doing with this, but it took its toll on him, and he was bedridden for a week, unable to keep anything down. The fever spiked at 103, and the stomach cramps he suffered were horrendous. He would lie folded in the bed, crying out in agony and Shirley would try to hold him as he endured the pains, but it wasn't enough. The fear for his well being spread like wildfire through the house. The kids talked in whispers as they listened to their brother's anguished cries. Everything was done softly, quietly, even when they weren't anywhere near him. Keith -and Shirley, too- was near the end of his rope, when finally, the fever broke and things calmed down. He recovered slowly but steadily, and now, just a scant four months later, he'd come down with this. And once again, he was in her arms, fighting off a new enemy and hoping to survive.  
  
As Shirley heard the wail of the ambulance's siren, Keith moaned, shakily reaching up with his right hand. "Mom…"   
  
She grabbed his hand. "I'm right here, honey," she said, leaning down towards him as he continued to bleed onto the towel.  
  
He coughed hard again, groaning painfully. Now there was blood trickling out of his mouth as well, and horrified, Shirley looked up at Reuben.  
  
The manager put his arm around her again, closing his eyes for a quick prayer as Shirley's eyes reverted to her son.  
  
  
  
Reuben and the Partridges were oblivious to the stares their presence was bringing, there in the hospital emergency ward. They were still decked out in their show costumes and having all of them come in at once seemed to overwhelm the small, private waiting area to which they were ushered upon their arrival. The ambulance carrying their older brother and son had apparently arrived a few minutes earlier, because it sat at the curb outside, lights still flashing and the door open.  
  
"All right, everyone stay here. I'll go see what's going on," Shirley told her brood as they stood around numbly. Tracy was crying, and Laurie sat down, pulling her onto her lap as she took a chair.  
  
Shirley disappeared and Reuben indicated the chairs. "Come on, kids, sit down. It's gonna be a long night," he glanced at Laurie, who nodded.  
  
The boys obeyed the manager, looking particularly worried in the fluorescent lighting, and Laurie cuddled her little sister as she wept against her. "Shh, Tracy…it's all right."  
  
"I want Keith…"  
  
"He's being taken care of, sweetheart. They're going to make him better." Laurie soothed.  
  
"Yeah, right," Danny muttered from across the room. "We've heard that one before. He'll probably die before they find out what's wrong with him."  
  
Tracy lifted her head, fear in her young eyes as Laurie scowled at her middle brother, gently putting Tracy's head back down on her shoulder. "Danny!!"  
  
Reuben stood up, his blue eyes icy and shooting sparks right at the redhead. "Come here." He grabbed Danny by the wrist and yanked him around a corner.   
  
"Ow, Mr. Kincaid, you're hurting me!" Danny protested, surprised at the manager's strength in his grip.  
  
"Good!" Reuben placed both hands on the boy's shoulders, pushing him against the wall. "I don't want to hear one more negative thing come out of your mouth, Danny. Your sisters are worried enough without you tossing your two cents in."  
  
Danny's eyes filled with tears. "Well, it's true, isn't it? He's seen a million, zillion doctors and they can't find a cure. He's so sick, and no one can help him! And I'm worried, too!"  
  
Reuben swallowed as his little nemesis broke down in front of him. He let the boy go, his expression softening. "I know, kid…I know," he said gently, pulling Danny to him and giving him a reassuring hug.   
  
"Reuben," Shirley's voice came from behind him. "Dr. Burns will be here to fill us in in about five minutes."  
  
She looked a bit worried at the exchange she'd just seen between her son and the manager, and Reuben flashed her a smile, mouthing, "It's okay."   
  
Shirley put her arm around her son and the three of them joined the others in the waiting room.  
  
Laurie, still holding Tracy, sat forward. "Mom?"  
  
"All they would tell me is that they're treating Keith and that Dr. Burns will be here in a little bit."  
  
"Are they gonna find out why he's sick?" Tracy lifted her head, looking at her mother.  
  
"They're going to try, honey." Shirley smiled at her youngest daughter, sitting down next to the girls. "I think we have some fans out there in the waiting room. I got stopped for an autograph," she giggled, even at this serious moment. Well, she thought, it was better than crying.  
  
Danny slumped into a chair by Reuben. "A real fan would have been at the show," he said, ignoring the manager's look.  
  
Shirley surveyed her brood. "Why the gloominess?" she asked. "We all know that this is best for Keith; he needs to be here so they can help him. We should be grateful that it happened, really."  
  
Laurie looked almost horrified. "Grateful? Mom!"  
  
Danny looked up at Reuben. "Are you gonna let her talk like that?" He rubbed his freckled wrist.  
  
"I don't mean grateful by the fact that we were glad to see it happen. I mean, grateful in the sense that he had to come here, and he's being cared for. He wouldn't have come here on his own. You know your brother. Stubborn as a mule."  
  
Laurie reflected over her statement, and finally nodded. "You're right." She nodded, her soft, shiny locks bouncing on her shoulders. "But, how long will this take, to find out just what's wrong?"  
  
"As long as they need. Reuben, I was thinking, how about if we flew the kids home; you could go with them, and I can stay here and be with Keith?"  
  
"Oh, Mom, no," Laurie frowned. "You don't want to stay alone in a strange city without knowing anyone…"  
  
"Laurie's right, Shirley." Reuben looked pensive, his hands folded under his chin. "You should have someone here with you."  
  
"I'll stay!" Danny cried, sitting forward in his seat.  
  
There was silence as everyone mulled that one over. Danny looked eagerly from his mother to Reuben and back again.  
  
"It's a thought. Laurie could take Chris and Tracy, and Danny can help you with Keith, especially once he gets better. But I think we should take the bus home and you guys fly back. No telling how Keith will feel by the time this is all over, and a 20 hour bus ride would just complicate things," Reuben said.  
  
Shirley smiled at her middle child. "Think you can do it? I'm going to need a lot of help. Keith's going to need it, especially."  
  
Danny grinned, glancing Reuben's way. "I know. I can handle it."  
  
Nodding, Shirley looked over at the manager. "It's settled, then."  
  
"Great. I'll get three open-ended tickets in the morning, then we'll start for home right after."  
  
Danny smiled up at him. "Thanks, Mr. Kincaid."  
  
Reuben ruffled his red hair just as a middle-aged doctor rounded the corner.   
  
"Mrs. Partridge?" he extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Burns."  
  
Shirley jumped up, shaking his hand. "How's Keith?"  
  
The doctor took a seat. "He's been admitted and he's on his way upstairs for a battery of tests. From the information I've gathered, he's been sick for a while."  
  
"Ever since, well, two days into the tour…two weeks ago. We've been to every hospital along the way, and no one seems to know what to do. The last doctor down in Santa Fe said it was a virus, but he didn't know what kind." Shirley regaled him with the story, frustrated with it; exhausted.   
Dr. Burns nodded. "I see, well, it looks as though Keith has developed an infection in his intestinal tract, now, and it's worked its way to his heart valves, which was causing the chest pains."  
  
Everyone looked surprised. "Chest pains!" they cried in unison.  
  
"He didn't tell you?"  
  
They shook their heads, stunned at this very important piece of information.  
  
The doctor smiled gently. "Apparently, he's been getting some mild to moderate pains in his sternum, which, like I said, is the result of the infection in his intestines. So, while we work on that little problem with some strong antibiotics, we're hoping we get to the virus as well. He's going to have to have a transfusion because of the blood loss first, though. Any volunteers?"  
  
"You…you mean, you want us to give him blood?" Danny swallowed, looking sick.  
  
"Well, whomever has the right type. He's B positive."  
  
"Danny, that would be you," Shirley nodded, to Chris - and Reuben's - relief.  
  
Straightening up in the chair, Danny did his best to look brave, as all eyes were upon him, now. "Okay, sure. I'll give Keith my blood. If it's gonna make him better, why not? Then I'll have one up on him. He'll really owe me, now!" He grinned.  
  
The others laughed, as the doctor nodded. "Great. I'll have the nurse take you back and get you prepped."  
  
"Are you going to hook me up right to him? Like at the gas station?" Danny looked eager.  
  
"Well, we don't normally do it that way, but we can if you want," the doctor conceded.  
  
"Yeah! That way, he'll know for SURE who it was that saved his life!"   
  
"Danny, he might not even know it's happening," Shirley told him. "He's probably still unconscious."  
  
"Your Mom's right, Danny," Dr. Burns nodded.  
  
Danny shrugged. "Oh, well, as long as it helps him. I can always tell him later. Hey, Laurie, do you have your camera?"  
  
Laurie laughed, shaking her head.   
  
to be continued...  



	7. Part 7

The Long Road, Part 7  
  
Danny felt very uncomfortable in his hospital gown, following the nurse into the elevator. He had to struggle to keep the back from flapping open and exposing his behind, and he knew people were staring. Luckily, they were the only ones on the elevator, and he backed into a corner, watching the floor numbers light up as they zoomed past them. The car stopped on number eight and the doors slid open. The nurse ushered him out as he once again, fumbled with the gown in back, doing his best to keep up with her.  
  
She led him into a room that was so small one needed to step outside to change one's mind, and told him to wait. She went through another door, and Danny looked around a little nervously. He wondered if this was going to hurt. He'd only had a couple of blood tests ever in his young life, and he remembered it wasn't very pleasant. He couldn't wait for them to remove the needle; and he knew this was going to be a little different. The nurse had explained the whole procedure to him. They would tie a rubber band around his upper arm and insert the needle into the crook of his arm. The needle would be attached to a tube that led to a bottle with still another tube attached to a needle in Keith's arm, and the blood would be transferred that way. Out of Danny's arm, right into Keith's. He just hoped he didn't faint! He never was one much for needles (what eleven-year-old was?), but right now, he was willing to endure anything for Keith. He wanted him better; back to exchanging insults with him, back to the teasing and the laughter. He wanted him back, period. The things his brother suffered with this virus were too much, for either of them. He knew Keith was exhausted, and just watching him deteriorate made Danny tired, too. It was so awful to see Keith in pain, not knowing what was coming next. He just wanted him well again, and if this was what it took to get to that point, he was more than willing to do his share!  
  
The door opened, and the nurse smiled, beckoning him on and he bravely followed her again, this time into a larger room.  
  
Keith was already there, lying on a table with his head turned away from the other table that Danny assumed would be his for the next little while. Keith's eyes were closed, and his skin was pale, almost see-through. He looked peaceful, and Danny was glad he was out of pain for the time being.  
  
"Okay, kiddo, hop up here," the nurse smiled, patting the second table.  
  
Danny used the step at the bottom of the table to climb up, and the nurse put a pillow down as he laid back. She took the rubber band and tied it quickly around Danny's right arm as the boy glanced over at Keith.   
  
His brother was already hooked up with the needle and the bottle, and Danny gulped, staring at Keith's still form there, not two feet from him. "Will this hurt him?" Danny asked the nurse as she took the needle in her hand.  
  
"Hurt him? No, honey. He won't feel a thing. And I'm going to try not to hurt you, either. Make a fist, sweetie."  
  
Danny obeyed, his eyes still on his brother. She came down with the needle and Danny closed his eyes tight, feeling a little prick in the crook of his arm. It went a bit numb, then he couldn't feel anything at all and he opened his eyes. She was taping the needle down onto his arm so it wouldn't come loose, and he continued watching her as she connected him to Keith via the tubes and the bottle.   
  
"Okay, honey. You just lie here and try not to move. I'll be back when the bottle's about half full, okay?" She started for the door.  
  
"Okay," Danny said, turning his head to the right, so he could see Keith. His brother didn't move, and Danny swallowed, staring at him, half-wishing he would wake up and at least talk to him. He wanted to see that he was okay, but he also wanted Keith to know that he, Danny, was there for him. He would always be there.   
  
With a sigh, Danny looked ceilingward, staring at the bright light above them. It was hard on his eyes, and he closed them, taking the opportunity to say a heartfelt prayer for his brother.  
  
As he finished the prayer, he heard movement nearby and quickly looked over to see Keith's head rolling slowly on the pillow beneath it. Keith whimpered, and Danny lifted his head, staring at him.  
  
"Keith?" he said gently.  
  
Keith moaned again, and now he faced the other table. The younger boy swallowed, wanting to touch him; to let him know he was there; that someone was with him.  
  
He tried again. "Keith!"  
  
To his surprise, Keith's eyes fluttered open and Danny grinned, hoping he could see him clearly.  
  
"Danny…" Keith whispered after a second, and it was all Danny could do not to sit up and grab him.  
  
"Yeah, it's me…how ya feel?"  
  
Keith swallowed. His mouth was arid, and he was very, very sleepy. "What's going on? What are you….?" He mumbled through cracked lips.  
  
"You needed blood, so I'm giving you some of mine." Danny's chest puffed out proudly. "Cool, huh?"  
  
Keith's sleep-laden eyes followed the tube from his arm upward. Danny waited patiently. Finally Keith's focus turned back to him, or so it seemed. "Uh huh…" he said tiredly, heavily, closing his eyes.  
  
To Danny's disappointment, Keith had fallen back into his own quiet world. Taking great care not to bother any of the equipment attached to either one of them, Danny reached over with his left hand, touching Keith's left hand as it lay almost dangling off the table. "See you later, pal…you're gonna get better now, Keith."  
  
As expected, Keith didn't respond and Danny laid back, feeling mighty good for the moment.  
  
  
  
With all the goings-on in the morning, Danny was eager to return to the hospital. He never knew when Keith would need more blood, and he was ready to do his duty. But everyone was in slow motion this morning. Reuben, Laurie and the two littlest Partridges were getting ready for their long bus ride back to San Pueblo, and Shirley was not so eager to see them off. She had discussed it again and again with the manager, who had assured her -again and again - that it was the best plan all around.  
  
No one seemed to notice that all of this was slowly killing Danny!   
  
Finally, Reuben announced, "Okay, let's go over to the hospital, so we can say goodbye to Keith."  
  
Danny practically flew out to the bus. It was about time, really! Suppose Keith had needed him? How could he tell him that the reason he wasn't there, was that his family was a bunch of slow-poke worry-warts? It wasn't an excuse; it was just how it was. He would have come earlier, but he was too young to drive the bus, and Keith might not take that answer, either. He would be very disappointed in his little brother, because Danny didn't try hard enough to get his tail over there! And now, they'd probably given Keith someone else's blood; a stranger. All because Danny Partridge was too young to drive…  
  
His imagination was still running a little rampant when they all entered the hospital lobby. Shirley turned to her brood.   
  
"Okay, now, Chris and Tracy will have to stay here," she said, reacting to their cries of protest.  
  
"We'll tell Keith good bye for you," Laurie assured them, putting a hand on each of their young heads.  
  
"It's not fair," Tracy muttered, her blue eyes welling with tears. "He's our brother, too!"  
  
"I know, sweetheart, but it's against the rules. We'd take you up there in a second if we could," Shirley smiled down at her youngest daughter.   
  
Chris sighed, flopping into a chair. "Come on, Trace. We know when we're not wanted…"  
  
"Now, Chris…" Shirley began as Danny tried to keep from screaming.  
  
"Come ON!" he bellowed, taking Laurie's hand and starting for the elevators.   
  
Reuben followed as Shirley lagged behind, still talking to Chris and Tracy. "Stay right here, all right? We'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
They nodded, their feelings clearly hurt, as Shirley joined the others on the elevator.  
Danny watched anxiously as the car started upwards, taking forever and a day to reach the eighth floor. When the elevator stopped and the doors parted, he was the first one out.  
  
The nurse at the desk directed them, saying that Keith's room was the first door down the connecting hallway and Danny had to hold back to keep from running. Maybe now that Keith had his blood, he would be practically back to normal, sitting up and flirting with the nurses; something his older brother was very adept at.  
  
He was so very wrong. Even as they entered the hallway, they could sense that something was not right. Drawing closer to the room, they heard Keith's anguished cries of pain and the four of them stopped, their hearts in their throats. Shirley motioned for them to wait there, and slowly pushed open the door.   
  
Keith was on his side in the bed, doubled over in pain as a young nurse stood beside him.  
"What is it, what's wrong?" Shirley stepped in all the way.  
  
The nurse turned, her face serious. "Oh, Mrs. Partridge, thank goodness you're here. We've been trying to get hold of you… He's having a reaction to the blood transfusion, is all. His system is trying to fight it."  
  
Shirley went to the bedside, watching her son writhe in pain. "I see," she said, reaching down and putting a cool hand on Keith's face. "It's okay, baby. Mom's here."  
  
Hearing her voice, Keith reached up, grabbing her hand. "Mom," he gasped. "Oh, god, Mom, it hurts…make it stop…"  
  
The nurse smiled sadly. "We can't give him painkillers without the doctor's permission. We paged Dr. Burns, but he hasn't answered yet. I'll go, so you can have some time with him, and I'll let you know when we get hold of the doctor."  
  
"Thank you," Shirley pulled up a chair next to the bed, her hand still in Keith's painful grip. "Could you send the rest of my family in, as well?"  
  
"Of course," the nurse nodded, going out the door.  
  
Shirley took Keith's hand in both of hers as Laurie, Reuben and Danny came warily in, looking very worried. She shook her head at them, then focused her attention on her firstborn. "Where does it hurt, Keith?"  
  
"My back…it feels like my kidneys are ready to explode…" His voice rose with the intensity of the pain.  
  
"What's wrong, Mom?" Laurie swallowed, stepping closer. She saw her brother's anguish and bit her own lip in sympathy.  
  
"They said it was a reaction to the transfusion. For some reason, his body's fighting Danny's blood." Shirley ran her hand along her son's spine.  
  
Upon hearing that, Danny slammed back into the door, suddenly ridden with guilt and terrified. His blood was causing all this pain and misery? Dear god…he wanted to die!  
  
Shirley and the others looked back at the young boy. He stared at them, his stomach churning as his mother smiled at him. "Danny, come here…come talk to Keith while I get a cold rag for his fever."  
  
Violently, Danny shook his mop of red hair, paralyzed in the doorway. "No…I…I'll just stay here."  
  
"You've been wanting to do this all morning; what's the problem?" Reuben looked puzzled.  
  
"I don't want to," Danny wailed, turning and grabbing the door handle. He slipped out as Shirley looked up at Laurie.   
  
"Laurie…"  
  
"I'm way ahead of you, Mom," Laurie sighed, following her little brother.  
  
He was down the hall a couple of doors, bent over himself, nearly hyperventilating, and Laurie hurried to him. "Danny! What is it, what's wrong? Are you sick?"  
  
He looked up at her, fear emanating from his cherubic, freckled face. "I almost killed him."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My blood…it's making him sicker! Oh, Laurie, he's gonna die, and it's all my fault!" He began to shout, and she grabbed him, pulling him to her, trying to quiet him and comfort him all at once.  
  
"No, no…no one said he was dying. It's a reaction, that's all!" she spoke soothingly, squatting down so that she was more on his level.  
  
"But it's hurting him! Did you see him? He's in pain! It's my blood that's doing it to him!"  
  
"That's why they're trying to get hold of the doctor, so they know what to give him. Oh, honey, he's going to be all right. If he wasn't, there would be all kinds of doctors and nurses in there in a big panic."  
  
He calmed a little, sniffing and swiping at his nose. "You really think so?"  
  
Laurie produced a tissue from her pocket. "I know so. Now, come on. Keith needs us now. Let's go talk to him, let him know we love him, okay?"  
  
His lip still trembling, he wiped his eyes and nose, nodding still a tiny bit disconsolately as she lovingly took his hand and led him back to the room.  
  
Still on his right side, Keith was in agony, moving under the covers as the pain tore through his lower back, centering on the soft spot between his ribs and his pelvic bone. He cried out into the pillow as Shirley wiped his brow with a wet cloth.  
  
Laurie pushed Danny forward and the boy stared down at his brother, terror still showing on his face.  
  
"Keith…" he managed to say.  
  
Between outcries, Keith desperately took in air. "What?"  
  
"I - I'm sorry if my blood's hurting you…"  
  
Keith panted, fighting another rush of pain. "It's not your fault, Danny… the nurse said that my body just thinks it's…being invaded, you know…?" He gasped as the muscles in his back twisted once more.  
  
"Keith's body will adjust to it, soon, Danny, and his pain will ease," Shirley told him, handing Danny the rag.  
  
He took it from her, sitting on the bed with his brother and carefully wiping his forehead with it.  
  
Keith reached up, feeling almost blindly for Danny, finally finding the boy's shoulder. He gave it a weak squeeze, and Danny gulped, trying not to cry in front of him. He knew he had to be brave for Keith right now.  
  
"Honey, maybe it would help it you sat up," Shirley suggested.  
  
"Right, Keith, we could prop your pillows up against your back for support. Might take the pressure off." Laurie moved to the other side of the bed.  
  
Keith nodded. At this point, he was willing to try anything, and Danny moved as his mother and sister each took an arm and adjusted him while Reuben folded the pillows behind the young singer.  
  
The two women eased Keith back against the pillows, waiting tensely for his reaction. He closed his eyes, only pulling a slight face this time.  
  
"Better?" Shirley put her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah." He still strained for breath as he looked up at her. "Thanks."  
  
Laurie noticed that Keith's skin was red and bumpy under the collar of his pajama top . She leaned down, carefully pulling at the collar. "Oooh, Keith, that's one heck of a rash you have going there…"  
  
Shirley looked to see, too. "Oh, honey, that looks terrible! Does it itch? Burn? Hurt in any way?" She reached over, unbuttoning his shirt. The rash covered his upper torso and she flinched, pulling back.  
  
"No…I think it has something to do with the reaction…oh, god, Mom, where's the doctor?" Keith asked, anguished, trying to will the pain away. He cried out, feeling his lower back with his hand and tensing beneath the covers.  
  
Suddenly, Danny went forward, gathering his brother into his arms and pulling him close.  
  
"I'm sorry, Keith, I'm sorry…" he cried, burying his face in Keith's collarbone, holding onto him tightly.  
  
Keith swallowed, sagging in his little brother's hold. "It's okay, Danny…" he murmured, weakly hugging him back. Keith tensed with pain, his face reflecting every morsel of misery, and Shirley put her hand on Danny's shoulder.  
  
"Danny, get down…you're hurting him…Danny!" Shirley said.  
  
"It's okay, Mom…he's not…" Keith said softly as Danny's sobs trailed off. "Danny, I told you, it's not your fault. They told me it's a regular reaction. Dr. Burns just didn't leave the nurses instructions for any medication, that's all," Keith explained, taking care not to let any pain show through. It was tough, but he thought he was managing it.  
  
Danny didn't see the exchange between Keith, Laurie and the adults, and Laurie stepped up to the bed.  
  
"Come on, sweetie, let's go down to the lobby and check on Chris and Tracy. " Laurie urged her little brother. "Let's let Reuben, Mom and Keith have some time to themselves."  
  
Reluctantly, Danny slid down off the bed, and with a shaky smile from Keith, he followed Laurie out the door.  
  
Keith waited until he was sure they were out of earshot before he groaned again, his body driving hard against the pain.  
  
  
  
When Dr. Burns finally did come, the pain had all but won over Keith's valiant struggle and he was exhausted, letting the medication slowly overtake his aching body. He lapsed into a deep sleep, to Shirley's relief, and she was able to get away to give Laurie, Reuben and her two babies a tearful send-off.   
  
As she hugged each of them goodbye, Reuben appeared a bit apprehensive. "Now, you know the number to call for the rental car…I arranged everything. All you need to do is pick it up."  
  
Still clinging to Tracy, Shirley nodded. "Yes, Reuben," she said, just a hint of sadness in her voice.  
  
"No letting Keith drive it…well, of course he won't be, not in his condition, but if he even WANTS to, tell him no. He's not covered under the policy."  
  
Danny tried to lighten the moment. "How about me?" he quipped. Out here, by the bus, he could joke around, but the minute he saw his brother and the agony he was going through, his mood darkened.  
  
"Yeah, sure, kid. Anything you want. Just don't take your mother or Keith with you." Reuben shot back, to Danny's delight, turning back to Shirley. "And the plane tickets will be waiting for you at the airport. You can drop the car off there and get right on the plane, convenient, right?"  
  
"Oh, very. Thank you Reuben…you've been a tower of strength through all of this."  
  
The manager actually blushed at Shirley's compliment. "Well, you know…Keith's more than just a client to me; you all are." He checked his watch. "Okay, we'd better hit the road if we want to get back to San Pueblo."  
  
"You will be stopping somewhere for the night, won't you?" Shirley almost cried when she saw Chris and Tracy board the bus.  
  
"Yes," came the blond man's answer.  
  
"Call me when you do. You have the hospital's number and the hotel's…"  
  
"We will, Mom. Tell Keith we love him and to get better soon," Laurie gave her mother a big hug.  
  
"Things should start looking up by morning. Dr. Burns is working nearly round the clock." Shirley said, trying, and failing miserably, to sound happy. She and Danny stood back as, once everyone was on board, Reuben gently closed the doors to the bus. Waving, they watched as the engine fired up and the psychedelic monster rolled away from the curb.  
  
It was the first time her little brood had been split up for longer than a day or so. Shirley wiped at her eyes as she and Danny started back for the hospital entrance.  
  
to be continued...  



	8. Part 8

The Long Road, Part 8  
  
Keith would sleep most of the day, so Shirley and Danny did their errands, such as picking up the rental car and shopping. Luckily, the hotel had a room with a small kitchenette and two bedrooms, and they moved into it, preparing for a long stay. Towards the end of the evening, they both headed back over to the hospital to visit Keith one last time before bedding down for the night.  
  
He was still asleep when they entered, much to their satisfaction, and they settled into the chairs for the duration of the visiting hours. It wasn't long before Danny fell asleep, apparently exhausted over his guilt trip over Keith's reaction to the transfusion, and Shirley let him go, covering him with a blanket and kissing his freckled forehead. He was a godsend to her right now, and she loved him dearly. He would be a big help in the coming days, as Keith recovered. She knew Danny would be a willing crutch for her. He loved his brother with every fiber of his being, even though he exhibited completely opposite behavior sometimes. Danny loved having Keith around to tease, sometimes almost mercilessly, and it was usually fun to sit back and watch the two of them go at it with one another, sometimes even pulling an unwitting Laurie in on it. Shirley sighed. She would miss her oldest daughter; just to have someone to talk to, on an adult level. Danny sometimes acted quite a few years older than he was, but he was no adult. Besides, Laurie was a girl, and she and Shirley related to more than the men in the family would ever fathom.  
  
Shirley found her own head bobbing, her body begging for sleep, and she finally succumbed, leaning against Keith's bed and drifting pleasantly off.  
  
  
  
Keith's eyes fluttered open. Where was he? He knew he was hot, and he reached up, his hand feeling his burning forehead. He was thirsty and he pushed himself up, wriggling out of the covers. A wave of dizziness passed over him and he sat there trying to regain focus as the room around him swayed. After a second, he planted his feet on the floor and stood up, still a little woozy. Water. He had to have water, or he knew he would die…He took a step, then another and stopped when he felt the tug of the I.V. tube in his left hand. Staring at it, he shook his spinning head and yanked the needle away, tearing off the bandage that held it down. That done, he stumbled toward the door, everything in his path quavering and fever burning through his skull.  
  
His hand bleeding from the removal of the I.V., he staggered down the empty hallway in his quest for something cool to drink; something for his parched throat, something to quell the fire…  
  
A cart full of medication sat in his path and he saw the water pitcher on it, beckoning to him. The vertigo impeded his judgement. He stumbled into the cart, falling forward into it and there was a mighty crash as the loaded cart hit the wall and Keith went down in a heap.  
  
The floor nurse was just returning from her rounds when she heard the commotion and she ran to Keith's balled form just as Shirley stepped out of the room. She'd been surprised to find his bed empty and had immediately associated the noise in the hall with her missing son.  
  
"Keith!" She wailed. Not again…he'd collapsed once on her already; she didn't need this again.   
  
The nurse looked up. "I'll get an orderly!"  
  
She dashed off as Shirley knelt beside him, looking him over. His hand was bleeding and he had a bruise already growing under his right eye.  
  
"Keith…are you awake? Talk to me!"  
  
There was no response, and Shirley gently rubbed his arm, silently praying. She was hoping that Danny hadn't heard the commotion, but it wasn't to be. The red head stepped into the hallway.  
  
"Mom, what happened?"  
  
"I don't know. Danny, stay back. They're getting him some help." Her orders were stern, and Danny obeyed, staring openly at his brother there in a heap on the floor.  
  
The nurse returned with a tall, burly man and a stretcher and Shirley moved aside as the orderly easily swept Keith up and eased him down onto the gurney. Keith moaned, and Shirley reached over, petting his head as the nurse directed the orderly to the room.  
  
Her son now safe and back in his bed, Shirley kissed his head and felt the warmth emitting from it. She looked at the nurse, who was putting the I.V. back, this time into his other hand. "He's very warm," Shirley told her.  
  
"It's probably why he got out of bed. I'll contact Dr. Burns and see what he wants to do. In the meantime, you should keep him cool. We'll pull the bedcovers down and cool him down with some water." The nurse and Shirley pulled the top covers from off of him while Danny stood by, waiting to help.  
  
It was going to be another very long night….  
  
  
  
Keith awoke to Danny's freckled face peering at him from above and startled, Keith drew back into his pillow, his eyes still trying to focus. "Danny!" he gasped.  
  
"How do you feel?" Danny hadn't moved his proximity, looking over every inch of his brother's face.  
  
Keith swallowed. "Where's Mom?"  
  
Now, Danny pulled back. "Talking to Dr. Burns. You got out of bed, you know that?"  
  
"I did?" Keith seemed puzzled, bewildered. He looked down at his hands. The I.V. had switched over into his right hand, and the other one had a band aid on it. He glanced up at the tubing and the stand.  
  
"Yeah, you pulled out the needle and went out into the hall. Then you high dived it right into a medicine cart." Danny seemed to enjoy his little walk down memory lane at Keith's expense.  
  
Keith reflected. He remembered craving water; remembered seeing the pitcher. Oh, god, he thought. He DID get out of bed!   
  
Danny nodded towards him. "We can explain that black eye by telling people you got in a fight if it will make you feel better."  
  
Keith reached up, his fingers touching his right cheekbone. It was tender and he flinched as Shirley came into the room.  
  
"Oh, Keith, you're awake," she said, relieved. "How do you feel, honey?" She took a seat on the bed, taking his left hand.  
  
"Okay. Danny told me about my…excursion. I'm sorry."  
  
She laughed, reaching over and stroking his forehead. "Your fever was pretty high, honey. I think it made you a little delirious. Dr. Burns checked you over; no real damage done, thank goodness. Except for that eye."  
  
Keith gulped. "What else did he say? Are the antibiotics gonna get rid of this virus?" He could only hope. A lot.  
  
Her smile penetrated his heart. "Everything looks wonderful, Keith. The virus has stopped progressing."  
  
Blowing out a breath, Keith sagged back into the pillow. He wanted to cry, but knew that Danny wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Oh, what the heck? It was the best news he'd heard in a long time. The tears welled in his eyes, anyway. "He's sure?"  
  
Shirley smiled down at him, nodding her head. Danny whooped as Keith sat up and the two of them hugged him at the same time.   
  
They parted, and Shirley took her eldest's face in her hands. "He also said that as it leaves your system, it will make you very, very tired; exhausted. You will still have some pain, and your muscles and joints will be affected the most. You won't feel like doing much of anything, and sometimes it's going to hurt just to move, but in a few days, he said, you'll start regaining your strength and the pain will ease." She looked over at Danny. "Your brother's going to need you a lot in the next little while, Danny. He's going to have a tough time functioning; getting dressed, walking…are you sure you can handle the responsibility?"  
  
Studying Keith's countenance, Danny took a deep breath. "I can. I'll be here for you, Keith." He threw his arms around Keith once again.  
  
Keith grinned tiredly. Was it just his mother's description of his upcoming recovery, or was he really starting to feel tired and achy? "Thanks, Danny…" As Danny pulled away, Keith grimaced. "I think it's starting already…" He lay back into the pillow as Shirley adjusted the bed so he had some elevation.  
  
"I'll let the doctor know. He wants to get your medication ordered and do a final few tests before he releases you," Shirley squeezed his hand.  
  
"When's that gonna be, Mom?" Danny asked.  
  
"It could be as early as tomorrow, Danny. But we're going to stay here a few days so Keith can rest before we go home." She reached over, kissing Danny's head, then Keith's. "I'll go find Dr. Burns. Then, Danny, you and I can go back to the hotel."  
  
"Thanks, Mom," Keith smiled up at her, trying to squeeze her hand in return, but the effort was lost. He was just so very, very tired…  
  
Her hand brushed his face and she and Danny waited until he'd fallen back to sleep before they got up.  
  
  
  
It took nearly half the morning for Keith to get dressed. The doctor was releasing him into Shirley and Danny's willing hands, but he was beginning to think twice about it. If it took him this long to just get his clothes on, what were the next few days going to be like? He'd gotten his jeans on; that had taken a good half an hour, then while he rested from that strenuous activity, Danny had come in to help him with his shoes and socks. Now, all that was left was his shirt, and he was actually too tired to move.  
  
"Come on, Keith. One last thing. I'll button it for you," Danny held up the blue and white small dotted garment.   
  
Lying back against the pillow, Keith closed his eyes, trying to muster the strength to at least sit up. Danny had been so patient, but he knew the novelty would be wearing off. Danny was not one to keep still for very long, and Keith's infirmity was going to test him to the limit.  
  
"Just a second, okay?" Keith's chest heaved.  
  
Danny watched him with concern. "Are you really that weak?"  
  
Keith nodded, hauling in a deep breath. "As a kitten. It's pretty embarrassing."  
  
Danny grinned. "Too bad Tracy's not here. She'd finally be able to win somebody in arm wrestling."  
  
Keith shot him a withering look. "Okay, Mr. Funnyman…fork over the shirt." With Danny's help, Keith sat forward, easing his legs down toward the floor. Danny helped him on with the shirt, then came around to the front and began buttoning it as Shirley came in.  
  
"Progress!" she smiled, "I see you're finally dressed."  
  
Keith smiled tiredly. "Yeah, thanks to Danny. I'd put him in a headlock, but frankly, I can't lift my arms."  
  
"Keep talking, Keith, and I'll button this wrong and all the cute nurses will think you're more pathetic than you are," Danny smirked. "You DO like the very top one buttoned, don't you?"  
  
Gagging at the thought of being choked, Keith tried pushing him away. "You do and I'll tell them I need some more blood from you. I'll get them to take it out of your rear end."  
  
Danny grinned, having finished his task. He ruffled Keith's hair, just to see how long it took him to get his hand up to fix it.  
  
Shirley laughed, helping her son with his coif, smoothing it back to its original state. His hair gleamed in the sunlight emitting from the window and she took special pride in knowing that he'd been cleaned up in the shower by two male nurses (her request, not his) for his trip back to the hotel.  
  
A nurse with a wheelchair entered, and between the three of them, they got Keith into it, heading downstairs with his belongings, his prescriptions and leaving most of the virus behind, thank the good Lord.  
  
to be continued... 


	9. Part 9

The Long Road, Part 9  
  
The next three days were nothing but trial and error. Keith knew his limits, what tired him out and what didn't, but he didn't want to appear as the invalid he really was. He still had trouble dressing, with which Danny didn't mind helping, but at least he could feed himself, and even bathe himself, once Danny got him into the shower. The pain that the doctor had promised would come was, at first, mild. Unless, of course, he exerted himself, which he tended to do more often than not. Then it was fierce, attacking his joints, mainly his elbows, wrists and knees. He tried not to let on when the pain began, but sometimes the façade wore thin and his mom and Danny could see the misery he was in.  
  
Case in point, the third night out of the hospital. Shirley had suggested they go to the hotel café for a late dinner before turning in. Keith hadn't really wanted to go out in public, but he could see that eating their meals and pretty well staying inside the hotel room was getting to both Danny and Shirley, so he relented. The café was only three floors down and across the lobby. He would make it all right, he told himself. So, leaning on his brother with both of them on either side, he limped down the hall to the elevator before having to stop and rest on the divan there in the vestibule. Feeling rather sheepish, he felt the mild aching in his arms and legs and, attributing it to the long walk, he tried to ignore it. After a few moments, he managed to get back onto his feet and they started out for the rest of their journey downstairs.  
  
After a tedious walk to the café entrance, they were, thankfully, quickly shown a table, where Danny and Shirley eased Keith down into a chair, then took seats on opposites sides of him.  
  
Their little show drew some sympathetic attention from the other restaurant patrons, which Keith pretended not to notice as he looked the menu over. He wasn't very hungry; a glass of juice and grilled cheese sandwich was more than enough, and he gave his order to the waitress, who he swore tried to stare a hole right through him.  
  
She wrote down all their orders: a thick juicy cheeseburger and a coke for Danny and a grilled chicken parmesan salad for Shirley, but before she turned to leave, she pointed at Keith with the eraser end of her pencil. "You're Keith Partridge, aren't you?"  
  
Smiling uneasily, Keith nodded as she pocketed her order book. Shirley intervened.   
  
"Yes, but if you could just keep it to yourself that we're here…Keith isn't feeling very well…"  
  
"Oh, I know; it's in all the papers how you collapsed during your show the other night. I'm glad you're out of the hospital, now. We've been worried about you. Whole town's been talking about it."  
  
"Really?" Danny looked impressed.  
  
The waitress nodded. "Look, I know you don't want to be bothered. I can move you into a booth in the back. More privacy."  
  
Shirley glanced at Keith, and he shook his head. There was no way he could move again; not with the pain and the exertion it would cause. "No, thanks. We'll just stay here. If you could just keep everyone away, I'd appreciate it," he swallowed.  
  
She smiled, showing pretty, white teeth. "Sure, no problem. I'll tell the maitre d'."  
  
"Thank you," Shirley told her as she moved off. She looked at her son, who had closed his eyes, trying to bear the pain of all of this, both physical and emotional. Should someone get through and ask for an autograph or a photo, he would only be too happy to oblige, she knew that. It would probably also start a mini-stampede, for her son was America's Heartthrob, after all, but that would be too much for now. She suddenly regretted bringing him here. "Are you all right, Keith?"  
  
He forced open his eyes and she swore she heard a small whimper as he did so. "Yeah, Mom," he said, rubbing his left arm.   
  
"Are you cold, or is the pain back?" Danny wanted to know.  
  
"It's just starting to ache a little. I'll be okay."  
  
Danny and Shirley watched him with trepidation as he sat there, obviously uncomfortable in this situation. They saw people around them stare openly at them, but Keith seemed oblivious to it. He was concentrating on the pain as it began to worsen, searing every joint in his body.  
  
"Mom," he said after about fifteen minutes of endurance. "Do you have my painkillers?"  
  
She searched her purse, wincing to herself. How stupid she was! "No, honey. They're up in the room. I thought I grabbed them, but I didn't. Danny, run and get them, will you?"  
  
"No, wait…" Keith's words stopped the youngster from springing up and doing his bidding once again. He swallowed hard, seeing the waitress approaching with their dinners. "The food's coming. Let's eat and then we'll worry about them."  
  
"Keith, if you're in pain - " Shirley put a hand on his arm.  
  
"I'll be okay. I'm sure you're just as tired as I am of you two doing everything for me. We needed to get out, and we are. Let's just enjoy it."  
  
"Are you sure?" Danny eyed him.  
  
Forcing a smile, Keith nodded as his sandwich and juice were placed before him.  
  
  
  
At three a.m., Shirley awoke to Keith's cries of pain. He and Danny were in two beds in the main room and she was in the second bedroom. Her heart pounding, she grabbed her robe from off the foot of the bed and stumbled out into the other room.  
  
The lamp between the beds was on and Danny was on Keith's bed, trying to massage his brother's arms as Keith writhed in complete agony.  
  
"Danny…" Shirley hurried to them.  
  
"He woke up about five minutes ago, yelling. I tried to give him a pain pill, but he's hurting too much…I couldn't get him to sit up." Danny, still dazed from being wrenched from his peaceful sleep, appeared frustrated and very glad to see her.  
  
Shirley crossed to the other side of her older son's bed. "Keith, can you take your pill now?"  
  
He looked up at her, his brown eyes dark with misery. "I don't dare. I can't sit up…oh, god, Mom…help me…"  
  
She rubbed his other arm as Danny was doing, kneading his muscles between her hands. His limbs felt so bony, prickly, and his face contorted in pain as he lay back against the pillow, his dark hair flayed out on the stark white percale. She swallowed. If indeed he was getting better, it wasn't showing.  
  
"How about your legs, honey?"  
  
"My knees…are killing me…" He tried to bend his left leg, then almost came up off the pillow involuntarily, crying out.  
  
Shirley hushed him, still rolling his arm between her hands, her heart racing.  
  
Danny did his best to lighten the moment. "You know who you remind me of, Keith? The Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, you know, when he needed oil for his rusted joints."  
  
In spite of himself, Keith smiled through the pain. He would have laughed, but it no doubt would have hurt. "Thanks a lot, Munchkin…" he teased back, only half -heartedly, to Danny's grin.  
  
"Danny, see if we've got a heating pad in the drawer over there. Maybe heat will help," Shirley directed wearily, taking Keith's leg in hand, now.  
  
"I think we should put him in a tub of hot water," Danny scrambled off the bed to look for the heating pad.  
  
Shirley glanced down at Keith. "That's actually not a bad idea. What do you say, honey?"  
  
"If I have to, I'll crawl in there," Keith gasped.   
  
"Come on, Danny, let's sit him up, but carefully…slowly, so we don't hurt him," Shirley said. They both slid their hands carefully behind Keith's back and he grasped their shoulders as they lifted.  
  
He arose with a groan, falling into Shirley once he was upright, and she held onto him as Danny rushed around the bed to help. Danny eased Keith's legs to the edge of the bed, then his feet to the floor and they slowly got him to a stand, where he cried out again. Shirley held him tight, his arm around her shoulders and hers about his waist as Keith gripped Danny's shoulder as the younger boy, too, put his arm around his brother's waist.  
  
They started off, Keith grimacing with every step until, about 45 steps and ten minutes later, they were at the bathroom door. They got him inside, sitting him gently down on the closed commode, and as he moaned, hunching forward, Danny quickly began to fill the tub with water.   
  
Shirley left Keith momentarily in his brother's hands as she ran back to the bed, getting the pills from off the nightstand. Returning with them, she gave him one and he downed it eagerly as the steam from the hot water began to fill the room.  
  
  
  
The hot water and the painkiller had combined for a very powerful sedative, and once they got Keith back into bed, he slept far into the next morning. As they were leaving for home the next day, Shirley busied herself in getting everything packed that she could, organizing the room and running errands while Danny kept vigil over his exhausted brother.  
  
Keith finally awoke well past noon, to find Danny playing a game of solitaire over on his bed. Unaware of Keith's awakening, Danny continued to play his game and Keith watched him for several minutes. The poor kid; his illness had really messed up Danny's freedom. He should be out swimming, or playing, running around like the wild savage he normally was, but here he was, keeping sentry duty over his older brother. That wasn't what being a kid was all about!  
  
"Danny, why don't you go for a swim, or something? Get outta here for a while." Keith said tiredly.  
  
His voice startled Danny, and the boy all but jumped, gaping over at the other bed for just a second, then he smiled. "Hey, Keith. It's about time you woke up."  
  
Keith lifted his arm, just to test it. Good, no pain. Yet. "I'm serious, Danny. Go on outside, spend some energy. You can't be thrilled about staying here all the time."  
  
Gathering up his cards, Danny shrugged. "I don't mind. Besides, with Chris and Tracy not here, it's not any fun."  
  
Keith sighed. And whose fault was that, he thought. Yours, Keith Partridge. You had to go and pick up this stupid virus and split the family up, even for just this little while…way to go, dummy.  
  
Danny must have seen the guilt on Keith's face. "But it's okay, Keith, really. I like being here with you, making sure you're okay. I've learned a lot lately. Like how to take care of you when you get really old…you know, thirty or forty."  
  
His grin made Keith smile. Shaking his head, Keith tried to push himself up into a sit and Danny was right there, as always, playing nursemaid.  
  
Danny placed the pillows behind his brother's back and helped him lie back against them. "Wanna play some cards?"  
  
"No. What I want to do is go for a walk. Aren't these four walls getting to you, Danny? They're driving me bananas."  
  
"Yeah, but, are you strong enough?" Danny's face reflected a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Keith was getting better as they spoke.  
  
"Only one way to find out. Hand me my clothes."  
  
Danny got a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt from Keith's bag and handed them to him. He instinctively went to help get him dressed, but Keith stopped him.  
  
"No, let me do it myself."  
  
"Think you can?" Danny pressed, his eyes wide.  
  
"I'm gonna try. Why don't you run down to the café and bring us back something to eat while I do this?" Keith sat there, studying the clothes in his hand.  
  
"Juice and…what?"   
  
"A roast beef sandwich."  
  
Danny nodded, hesitantly starting for the door. Keith looked up at him. "Go on. The worst that could happen is that Mom comes back and finds me half naked on the floor."  
  
At that, Danny laughed out loud, going out and leaving Keith to himself.  
  
  
  
Danny returned to an unusually vocal argument between Keith and their mother.   
Hearing their voices beyond the door, Danny entered meekly to find Keith sitting on the edge of the bed, pretty much dressed, except for the buttoning of his shirt, and Shirley standing over him, her features in a near rage.  
  
"That's it, Keith. You are NOT leaving this room without it, and that's that."  
  
"Mom, Danny will be there. Suppose I run into some fans…or worse, the paparazzi…they'll make it out to be worse than it is."  
  
"I don't care what the fans think or what the paparazzi thinks. I care about you, Keith. You're still not strong enough to do it without some help."  
  
Danny stepped in further, more curious than ever now to know what it was they were talking about. "Uh…what's going on?"  
  
Shirley turned to him. "Your brother's impossibly stubborn, that's what's going on!" she lamented.  
  
Keith's face was in a scowl. "She wants me to use a cane!"  
  
Danny nodded, absorbing this new information. "So, use it."  
  
Shirley smiled triumphantly as Keith's expression darkened even more.  
  
"Oh, who asked you?" he muttered, feeling betrayed.  
  
Shirley produced the nicely carved wooden cane. "I bought this at a store in town. I thought it might give you something to lean on besides Danny. He'll never grow taller at this rate." She softened as Keith closed his eyes in frustration. "Honey, I know it will be awkward, but would be any less trouble to fall, and end up back in the hospital?"  
  
Putting his head back, Keith's shoulders sagged as he sighed heavily. "Okay, okay, I'll use it. But if I see a pretty girl, Danny's gonna end up holding it."  
  
"Fair enough. Now, I noticed a park about a block away. Do you want me to drive you over?" Shirley asked. "That way I can wait for you when you get tired."  
  
"Okay. Just let me get this buttoned." Keith fumbled with his shirt.  
  
Danny stepped forward. "Here, let me. We have a plane to catch in seventeen hours, and I don't want to miss it."  
  
Shirley giggled.  
  
  
  
Shirley was a worrier. She just couldn't help it. She became one the moment Keith was born and she knew she'd remain one until her dying day. Sitting in the car in the parking lot, she looked at her watch. They'd been gone an entire half hour. The park didn't look that big, but then again, Keith had to take it slow…very slow. He hadn't complained of any pain on the way over, at least not to her, but she would think it inevitable, as he hadn't really done a lot of walking in the past few days. Craning her neck to see if she could at least spot them, she finally decided to go looking. No more pussyfooting around. She only wanted to check on them. Keith could be lying in a heap in Danny's arms for all she knew, she reasoned as she locked the car and followed the direction in which her two oldest sons had gone so long ago.  
  
The park was nearly void of people; there were a few children chasing one another clear over by the playground equipment, but otherwise it was quiet…and vast, very vast. She hadn't realized how large it seemed, now that she was in the midst of it. She picked up her step, her imagination starting to run a bit wild.  
  
She spotted them on the other side of the playground. Danny was climbing on the monkey bars while Keith sat on a nearby bench, watching him. The cane sat surreptitiously behind the bench.  
  
"Hi, Mom!" Danny cried, hanging upside down as she approached. It didn't do her rattled nerves any good.  
  
"Danny, be careful!" she admonished, joining Keith on the bench.  
  
"Aw, Mom, he's okay. He's only fallen on his head twice so far," Keith said in all seriousness. Seeing the look on her face, he smiled. "Just kidding." His face seemed fuller, color was returning to his cheeks, and she was happy to see his dimple.  
  
She slapped at him, retrieving the cane from its hiding place. "Just for that, young man, you are going to hold this in your hand." She placed it firmly in front of him and he looked at it noncommittally, pretending not to notice it.  
  
He looked around him, as if he were searching for something, and she frowned.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Looking for a big dog that I could throw this to," he answered rather tiredly and she laughed, reaching over and rubbing his thigh.   
  
"I'll bet you are tuckered out, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I am, but I had to do this, Mom. For Danny if nothing else."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
He nodded at the redhead as he played blissfully among the playground equipment. "Look at him. He's a kid again. This virus was stifling him. He was waiting on me, worrying about me…he gave me his blood, Mom. That's too much for a kid his age to have to endure."  
  
"It's too much for a kid any age to endure," Shirley gently corrected him. "But I understand where you're coming from, honey. And thank you for being so concerned. But I do know that Danny wouldn't have done everything he did if he didn't love you very, very much, as do I." She kissed his cheek. "Ready to go back? We need to get some sleep before we head to the airport in the morning."  
  
"Okay…you can go on ahead…it might take me a little while to get back to the car."  
  
"Not on your life. I am going to be right here beside you, all the way."  
  
He smiled.  
  
  
  
The San Pueblo Airport was very crowded with onlookers, waiting for Keith, Shirley and Danny's plane to arrive. Somehow, word had gotten out about Keith's dilemma and the fans poured in. It all made Reuben a little uneasy; he wasn't sure just what the Partridge's reaction would be to all the confusion. Shirley had told him on the phone from the hotel right before they left that Keith was doing rather well under the circumstances, but he still had a bit of recovering to do. He hoped it wouldn't upset the singer, seeing all these people, but he couldn't very well shoo them away. Laurie, Chris and Tracy had been a bit surprised by the size of the crowd themselves, and they more or less huddled together, not quite sure of what to make of it.  
  
"I see the plane!" Chris pointed to the window, where the aircraft was indeed heading toward the gate.  
  
Reuben could sense the spirit lifting in the room, and he pulled at his tie, looking around for a security guard. Spotting one, he went to him, leaving his young charges to fend for themselves for the moment. Laurie watched as the manager and the guard had a very animated discussion, then the guard moved up toward the door through which the disembarking passengers would be coming and took a microphone in hand.  
  
"Folks, if we could get you to step back, we need to make room for the passengers to get through…please let everyone by."  
  
The waiting crowd obeyed for the most part and Laurie, Chris, Tracy and Reuben all looked at the door anxiously, awaiting the arrival of their brothers and mother. Several passengers were entering the gate area, but there were no familiar faces, as one by one, they exited the plane.   
  
"Are they there?" Tracy tried to stand on her toes.  
  
"Not yet. They'll probably be last, if Keith's as bad off as Mom said," Laurie's blue eyes searched the crowd anxiously. "Wow, Reuben, I hope this crowd doesn't upset him. He's probably exhausted from the flight as it is."  
  
"I know, but what can we do? I can't just tell them to leave," Reuben said nervously.  
  
  
In the jetway, Keith, flanked on either side by Danny and Shirley, moved slowly along. They had waited until everyone else had disembarked before even attempting to move out, and despite leaning on the cane, Keith winced with every step. He knew it would be a long recovery, just from the flight alone.   
  
"Once we find Reuben, I'll have him get someone to take you to the car, Keith," Shirley's heart hurt with every painful grimace he made.  
  
"Yeah. There's no way you can make it through the airport." Danny stared up into Keith's face.   
  
They took his silence for an agreement, then suddenly, he raised his head and moaned. "Oh, god…"  
  
"What? What's the matter?" Shirley grasped his shirtfront, her pretty face concerned.  
  
"Look."  
  
They were at the open door, now, and all three of them stopped dead still as flashbulbs burst around them and they heard cheers and applause. They were surrounded!  
  
Shirley's eyes swept his face. He was fighting tears as it was, and his mouth trembled just a bit as he forced a congenial smile for the cameras, clutching Shirley and Danny all the harder.   
  
"Keith!"  
  
He heard Laurie, Chris and Tracy's voices over the applause and turned his attention to them as they came running at him. Letting Shirley and Danny go, he gathered Laurie up, both of them weeping openly, then carefully bent down to hug the two smallest of the brood, seemingly oblivious to the crowd now.  
  
The streak of flashbulbs was almost never ending as the family was reunited at long last. Reuben strode over to them, giving Shirley a quick hug, ruffling Danny's hair (how would a hug look, they concurred silently) and after hesitantly deciding what to do next, finally pulled Keith to him, albeit briefly. He knew a full-fledged hug would just embarrass the both of them.  
  
"I'll take care of this, kid," Reuben told him, turning to the crowd and waving to get their attention. Keith clutched Danny, wanting so badly to sit down, but braving it as Reuben spoke. Danny clutched him right back, smiling up at his brother.  
  
"On behalf of Keith and the Partridge Family, we'd like to thank you all for coming out today. Your good wishes are appreciated. Thank you again." Reuben's announcement was accompanied by the security guard dispersing the crowd, and soon the Partridges found themselves alone. Together.  
  
"Here, honey. Sit down before you fall." Shirley guided Keith to a chair.  
  
He sank gratefully into it, looking drained, as his siblings surrounded him.  
  
"Sorry about that spectacle, Keith. I had no idea how anyone found out…" Reuben smiled down at him.  
  
"That's okay." Keith's voice was soft, almost distant.   
  
"Ready to go home, honey?" Shirley could see the exhaustion settling in.  
  
He nodded, huddling now in his jacket. He felt like withdrawing from the entire world right now. He more or less just folded into himself, trembling, and Shirley looked up at Reuben.  
  
He read her mind. "You wait here and I'll get some transportation for you." The manager hurried off.  
  
They could see that Keith was still not feeling his best, and Shirley reached over, patting his leg. "I'll take the kids on a bathroom break. Need anything from the snack bar, honey?"  
  
"No, thanks." His demeanor worried her just a little.  
  
Laurie took note of it, too. "I'll stay here with Keith, Mom," Laurie nodded, putting her arm protectively around him.  
  
The others moved off, and Laurie gave his shoulders a little squeeze, just to let him know she was there.  
  
He swallowed.  
  
  
Home had never really looked as good as it did now. As Keith and Shirley stepped into his bedroom, his emotions almost overtook him. He stood there, surveying the room as if it were unfamiliar to him, taking in his surroundings with just a little bit of trepidation. While the others busied themselves downstairs, Keith sank down onto the bed, both emotionally and physically exhausted. He unsuccessfully tried to keep from crying, and as the tears made their way down his face, Shirley put her arms around him.   
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Her voice was soothing and he swallowed hard. "Yeah…" he whispered, wiping at his face with a shaky hand. He wasn't, they both knew that, but what could he say?  
  
She took his chin in her hand, peering into those soulful brown eyes. "It's going to get better, honey, and before long you won't even remember these past few weeks."  
  
He went forward into her arms, enjoying the strength in her hold, and nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. She held him for a long time, loving him more with each passing second.  
  
When he finally pulled away, she watched him as he winced with the pain that was still there; pain that would be there indefinitely. He wasn't over this, yet. They'd been told that it could come back on him, days, weeks, months from now, and it scared her. She knew it scared him, too, and that was something she wanted to protect him from, but she couldn't.  
  
They could hear Laurie and Danny arguing loudly from downstairs, and then Chris and Tracy joined in. Their voices reached a crescendo, and Shirley, distracted from worrying about her eldest, sighed, looking disconcerted.  
  
"I suppose I'd better go stop that."  
  
She went to move, but Keith took her arm. "No."  
  
Surprised, she looked at him. "What?"  
  
He shook his head. "Don't stop them. Let them go. Please," he pleaded.   
  
Puzzled, she watched as he closed his eyes, listening to the words being shouted down below them. It was something about dinner, and Keith leaned back, savoring the sounds he'd missed so much.  
  
"Keith?" Shirley hadn't quite caught on, yet.  
  
When he opened his eyes, they were teary, and he smiled weakly. "Oh, god, Mom, it's good to be home…"  
  
The look on his face was priceless and she laughed, holding her arms out to him once more. He fell into them, laughing and crying at the same time.  
  
  
  
THE END  



End file.
